To Be A Master
by Izzyaro
Summary: Meet Ash Ketchum: hot-tempered, stubborn, and determined to do whatever it takes to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. When Pikachu refuses him though, he ends up with a different partner, one that inspires a very different journey to the Indigo League.
1. Chapter 1

**To Be A Master**

 **Izzyaro**

 **Hello, everyone! This is one of several stress relief projects that is finally seeing the light of day. I can't promise regular updates, but I do like working on it and I've got everything until the Indigo League vaguely planned out. Pairings are currently undecided, because Ash is ten and about as interested as a rock, so that won't come in until later. I'm still toying with including things like Aura, but that won't be introduced until after the League, if it is at all.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

The first day of April following a child's tenth birthday was a special day. It was the day they were allowed to register as Pokémon Trainers, and begin a journey with a Pokémon of their very own. Some people were given their first Pokémon by friends or family members, while others went to the regional Pokémon Professor, who would make sure that every trainer set out with a healthy, capable Pokémon by their side.

At least, that was how it was supposed to work.

"What do you mean, there's none left?"

Professor Oak did that thing where he looked at Ash like he thought he was an idiot. To be fair, Ash was feeling like a bit of an idiot. Of all the days to break his alarm clock…But that didn't mean the professor had to think it too!

"I'm afraid so, Ash. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle have all been chosen by young trainers."

Ash's heart sank, but he didn't give up. "Please, Professor, there's gotta be something I can have!"

He couldn't wait to start on his Pokémon journey. He'd already been waiting ten years! Ash didn't know how long it would take to get new Starter Pokémon in, but it would be too long.

Professor Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully. "As it happens, I do have two young Pokémon that might be willing to work with an aspiring young trainer. But," he held up a hand to forestall the barrage of questions, "they were both wild Pokémon."

Ash nodded in understanding. While the Starters of each region were bred and raised specifically for new trainers, Pokémon born in the wild were very different. They weren't used to humans, and would be harder to train.

On the other hand…

"I don't care," said Ash firmly. "I'm going to have to catch and raise wild Pokémon if I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. I'm not afraid of starting now."

Professor Oak held his gaze for a long moment, then his weathered face creased into a smile. "Now, how did I know you were going to say that?" He moved through to the back room of his laboratory, waving a hand for Ash to follow. "I suppose it can't do any harm to meet them."

"Yes! Thanks, Professor!"

Oak shook his head, but Ash caught the smile tugging at his face before he turned away. Ash bounded after him, heart hammering in his chest. He had no idea what Pokémon were waiting for him, but he didn't care. Ash had never heard of a Pokémon he didn't think was amazing, and he'd seen enough televised battles to know that any Pokémon could be a strong fighter if trained right. Whatever Oak had, Ash was going to make it the strongest it could be.

When Oak turned back, he was holding two Pokéballs. One was marked with a small lightning bolt, and Ash frowned at it.

"What's that for?"

Oak coughed, and if Ash didn't know better he'd swear the man looked embarrassed. "Ah, well, this Pokémon doesn't like being kept in its 'ball." He sighed. "Actually, it refuses to stay in there. I marked it just so I'd remember that it was technically in use."

"That's so cool. What Pokémon is it?"

Oak opened his mouth, but before he could say anything there was a soft noise from behind them. Ash spun round, and his eyes widened. "A Pikachu!"

He was moving forward before he could help himself. One of the best trainers Ash had ever seen had used a Pikachu in the Indigo League, and Ash had been amazed by the power such a small Pokémon contained. This Pikachu's cheeks were already sparking, and Ash crouched down and held out a hand.

"Hi there. My name's Ash, and I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master. Want to come with me?"

"Ash," said Oak, in a warning tone, but Ash kept his eyes on Pikachu, and a bright smile on his face. Pikachu tilted its head to one side, then snorted and turned away.

Ash's smile dropped from his face. "Really?"

More sparks shot from Pikachu's cheeks, and this time Ash got the hint and scrambled back. "Okay, sorry."

Oak patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. "He doesn't like me either," he said, somewhat mournfully. "I'll probably be releasing him today."

Pikachu's ears shot up, and the Electric-type darted back over to them. Ash looked at the hope in his eyes, and felt the last of his resentment fade. "You should do it now. He doesn't want a trainer." He smiled at Pikachu. "You want to get strong yourself, don't you?"

Pikachu nodded warily. Ash sighed, and looked back at Oak. "Let him go," he repeated. He would love to train a Pikachu, but he wasn't going to force this one to go with him, not when there was another Pokémon that might actually want to be his partner.

Oak's expression betrayed his own surprise, but he nodded. "I will," he promised. "But let's get you sorted out first."

Pikachu hopped onto the table and watched as Oak picked up the other Pokéball. Before he opened it, though, the professor glanced at Ash. "Now, don't be offended if he doesn't wake up."

Ash frowned, but his attention was immediately diverted by the flash of red light that signified a Pokéball being opened. A moment later, the light cleared to reveal another small yellow Pokémon. This one, though, hovered in midair, tail flicking rhythmically from side to side, and Ash gasped as something seemed to press against his mind. It was gone a moment later, leaving Ash staring at the creature.

Which was, as Oak had warned, fast asleep.

Ash stared at it for a minute, then turned to Oak. "Is it going to do anything?"

Oak chuckled, and handed over a Pokédex. "Why don't you have a little read?"

Ash did so, and his eyes widened. "Eighteen hours?" He was pretty sure he'd never slept that long in his life. Training a Pokémon that needed that much rest would be hard. Then again…Ash flicked through the next couple of entries, and stilled. Oak smiled.

"They aren't easy Pokémon to train," he said. "But the trainers that do, well, they are certainly remembered."

Ash nodded slowly, still entranced by the Pokédex page. Psychic types were powerful, and Alakazam were amongst the strongest in the world. If he could train one, then everyone would know he could be a Pokémon Master. No-one would be able to argue, or tell him he was an idiot for even trying.

Slowly, Ash closed the Pokédex, and walked over to the Abra. It didn't react, but Ash thought about what he had just read, and realised that even while sleeping it had to be aware of his emotions and intentions at the very least. He thought about how much he loved Pokémon, and how much he wanted to meet as many as he could, and become the best he could be, no matter what it took.

And Abra's eyes opened.

' _Is that so?'_

Behind them, Oak drew in a sharp breath, but Ash only had eyes for Abra. He opened his mouth, then remembered what he was dealing with, and concentrated as hard as he could. ' _I will be a Master,_ ' he thought fiercely. ' _I know it's going to be hard, and I know it'll take a long time, but it's my dream, and I'm not giving up on it.'_

Abra regarded him in silence, but it wasn't a bad silence, and Ash smiled. ' _And if you work with me, then I promise I'll help you become as strong as possible. And more importantly, I'll always be your friend.'_

Abra tilted its head to one side, and Ash was struck by a sudden flicker of surprise. The emotion felt disconnected from him, but before he could say anything, Abra sent another coherent thought, ' _You consider that more important?'_

' _Yes! I don't want Pokémon just to fight with them! I want friends, and partners. I want them to trust me, and to be able to trust them.'_ He paused, not sure how to express himself properly, then realised he didn't have to. He closed his eyes, and concentrated with every fibre of his being on how much he loved Pokémon.

' _I'm going to be a Master, and I'm going to do it my way.'_ He opened his eyes again, and met Abra's dark gaze without flinching. "Do you want to come with me?"

Oak stirred at the first spoken part of the conversation, but he didn't interrupt. Ash waited, his heart hammering in his chest. Pikachu had already refused. The other Starters were already gone. This was his last chance.

 _Please._

Abra held his gaze for a long, terrifying minute, and then he nodded.

' _I suppose I might as well. But I am not calling you Master.'_

Ash laughed out loud in sheer joy and relief. "I'll never ask you to," he promised. Then he thought about it. "Is there anything you want me to call you?" A lot of trainers nicknamed their Pokémon, but Ash had never given the matter much thought. Seeing as how he could communicate perfectly well with Abra, though, it seemed rude not to ask.

' _My kind do not recognise each other with names,'_ said his new partner. ' _Abra will suffice. I will know when you are addressing me.'_

Ash grinned. Psychic types were so cool.

"I take it things are going well?"

Ash jumped. He'd completely forgotten that Professor Oak was still in the room. Luckily, the old man looked more amused than annoyed, but Ash still felt rather sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, everything's great, Professor. Abra's agreed to come with me!"

Oak smiled at the pair of them. "I am very glad to hear it." He handed Ash Abra's Pokéball, along with five empty ones and the Pokédex, but before Ash could thank him Abra yawned and Returned himself in a flash of red light. Ash blinked at the Pokéball, and shrugged.

"I guess I'll talk to him later."

Oak chuckled, but his expression soon turned serious. "You will have to be careful, Ash. Abra have an enormous amount of potential, but they tire easily at this level. Make sure he gets enough sleep, and do not let him strain himself."

"I won't," said Ash firmly. "He's my partner, and we're going to look out for each other." Yeah, he wanted to be the best trainer he could be, but not at the expense of his new friend's health.

Oak nodded approvingly, and patted him on the shoulder. "Then I'm sure the two of you will do very well together."

Ash grinned. "Thanks, Professor! I can't wait to get started." His hand closed tight around Abra's Pokéball. The sooner he left, the sooner he could start getting to know his new friend properly.

Oak coughed. "Yes, perfectly understandable. However, might I suggest getting dressed first?"

Ash blinked, then felt his face blaze red in mortification. He'd completely forgotten about clothes in his mad rush to the lab, and was still in his pyjamas. "Yeah, right." He looked down at himself, and felt his blush darken. He was going to have to walk through town like this!

Fortunately, when Ash made it downstairs, he found his mother waiting for him, along with what seemed like most of his neighbours. Delia's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

"Ash! How did it go?"

Ash beamed at her. "I got an Abra!"

Delia blinked and looked at Oak, who shrugged. "The others had been taken," he said. "But I think Ash and Abra will work very well together."

Delia didn't quite look convinced. "But I thought Abra couldn't learn any actual attacks…"

"He will," said Ash promptly. "We're gonna work really hard, and catch lots of other Pokémon too." He patted Abra's Pokéball. "We'll be fine, Mom."

She hesitated, but after a moment her face softened into a smile. "I'm sure you will, but you'll still call me every night, young man."

Ash pulled a face, but didn't argue. Delia's eyes sparkled, and she handed him an armful of clothes. "Now, why don't you ask Professor Oak if you can borrow a room to dress? Unless you want to head to Viridian City in your pyjamas."

"Mom…"

Ten minutes later, Ash was ready to go. His bag was packed, his Pokédex was in his pocket, and six Pokéballs were clipped to his belt. His neighbours gathered round with well wishes and last bits of advice, and Professor Oak shook his hand, until finally Ash was left with just Delia. His mother's eyes were suspiciously bright, but she smiled at him.

"You will call me whenever you get to a Pokémon Centre," she said firmly. "And make sure you eat properly. Don't spend all your money on TMs."

Ash shuffled impatiently. "I won't, Mom." He had been getting the same lecture for the past month.

"And don't push yourself too hard. You're only ten, and you've got plenty of time before the Indigo League."

"Yeah, I know, Mom."

"And make sure you change your underwear every day-"

"Mom!" Ash yelped. "I'm going right now!"

But he didn't protest when she pulled him in for a quick hug. He firmly ignored the prickling in his own eyes and stepped back. "I'll call you later."

"You'd better. Take care, Ash!"

Ash waved, and set off in the direction of the path to Viridian City. He glanced back at the outskirts of Pallet Town. Most of his neighbours had disappeared, but he recognised his mother's slender form, and the silver of Professor Oak's hair, and had to swallow down the lump in his throat. This was the best day of his life, but he was still leaving the only home he had ever known.

But Ash had never been one to dwell on the past. The open road lay before him, a road full of new friends and new challenges. The sun was warm on his face, and Abra's Pokéball rocked on his belt, and Ash couldn't hold back a triumphant laugh.

He was on his way, and nobody was going to stop him. Pure excitement bubbled up in his chest, and he launched himself forward.

"Come on, Abra," he shouted. "It's a long way to the Pokémon League!"

He wasn't really expecting a reply, but a moment later his steps faltered and he nearly fell as a sigh reverberated within his mind. "What-?"

' _I am literally attached to you. There is no need to shout, especially when some of us are trying to sleep.'_

Ash winced, but lowered his voice. "Sorry." Then he paused. "Wait, are you going to be listening all the time?" He wasn't sure how he felt about that. As much as he wanted to get to know his new friend, he didn't think he wanted all his thoughts to be shared.

There was another sigh, and this time it was joined by the distinct impression of Abra rolling his eyes. ' _I did say I would know when you were addressing me. Communicating like this isn't as easy as I'm making it look.'_

Ash nodded. "Got it. I'll let you get some sleep then."

There was no verbal reply, but Ash got a sudden feeling of approval, and smiled. This would take some getting used to, but he couldn't deny that it was cool.

It was a perfect day for setting out on his journey. The sun was warm on his back, but not too hot, and the clouds in the sky looked far away. A pair of Rattata raced past before vanishing into the grass, and Ash threw back his head and basked in the joy of finally being on his way.

He hadn't gone far before he spotted something interesting. Ash had spent a lot of time thinking about what sort of Pokémon he wanted, and a good Flying-type had been at the top of his list. He liked walking, but flying would just be cool. Since Pidgeot were both fairly common in Kanto, and known as one of the fastest species in the world, seeing a lone Pidgey pecking at the soil by the edge of the road was exactly what Ash had been waiting for. He bit back the urge to start yelling, and grabbed for an empty Pokéball.

"All right," he whispered. "Let's do this."

He raised the 'ball ready to throw, only to pause when another 'ball at his belt burst open. Abra materialised next to him, and fixed him with a flat look.

' _You do remember that you are supposed to weaken them first.'_

Ash blushed, and replaced the Pokéball on his belt. "Uh, yeah, course I did." He pointed at the Pidgey. "Can you attack that Pidgey?"

Abra eyed the oblivious Flying-type, and for the first time Ash thought he looked uncertain. ' _I think I can hold him in place,'_ he said after a moment. ' _But not for long.'_

Ash frowned. "We'll have to get you a decent attack after this." Maybe he should have a proper look through the Pokédex. There had to be something in there about what moves Abra could learn.

First though, they had a Pidgey to catch. Ash glanced round, then brightened. "Hey, can you move things with your powers?"

Abra frowned. ' _Within reason, but again, not for long.'_

"It won't need to be for long," Ash assured him. "Just long enough for you to hit it with something hard enough to stun it."

' _That doesn't sound very sporting,'_ Abra muttered, but he did levitate slightly higher in the air and look around. ' _Does this mean I'm using Rock Throw?'_

Ash grinned. "Sure, and it sounds fair enough to me. Bruno's Pokémon throw things at their opponents all the time."

Abra sighed, but waved a claw and a rock the size of Ash's fist rose slowly into the air. ' _All right. Let's see if this works.'_

He gestured, and the rock flew at the unsuspecting Pidgey.

Unfortunately, it didn't fly very fast. The Pidgey had plenty of time to see the incoming missile, and it launched itself into the air with a mocking chirp. The rock sailed out of sight, and Abra frowned. ' _Perhaps I should have started with something smaller.'_

"Maybe," Ash agreed. "But it was good for a first try. It was on target and everything. We'll just have to practice."

' _This sounds like a lot of effort,'_ Abra grumbled.

"Well, yeah I guess, but it'll be worth it. There are loads of ways you could use something like that in a battle, and I bet it'll be just as useful when we're out exploring."

Just thinking about the possibilities was enough to get him excited, but Abra just sighed. Ash rolled his eyes fondly, but before he could say anything else the quiet of the morning was disturbed by a shriek of rage. Ash froze.

"Hey, Abra? Where did that rock end up?"

Abra stiffened. Warily he floated a little higher. Ash took a few steps forward and gulped.

"Uh oh."

The two of them were standing at the edge of a gentle slope. At the bottom of the slope was a flock of Spearow. One of the Spearow was squawking angrily, and next to it...

' _Ah,'_ said Abra quietly. ' _Oops?'_

Ash swallowed, and started to back up. "C'mon. Let's get out of here before they realise it was us."

Naturally, that was the moment when the Spearow looked up. It zeroed in on Ash and Abra, and its eyes gleamed with manic hate. Ash glanced at Abra. "Run?"

' _No, let's stay and wait for them to get organised, Yes, run!'_

Ash didn't have time to tell him to cut the sarcasm. He just grabbed his partner and ran for it.

It was just as well Abra weighed next to nothing. Ash slung him onto his shoulders so that he was sitting on his backpack, and took off as fast as his legs could carry him, but he could hear the Spearow calling its friends, and seconds later came the terrifying noise of hundreds of wings cutting through the air towards them. Ash cursed and picked up the pace. He wasn't sure if he could out-run one Spearow, let alone an entire flock, but he had to try. Abra was counting on him.

' _I don't want to alarm you,'_ said Abra quietly. ' _But they are catching up. And they are very angry.'_

Ash gritted his teeth, and sped up. He didn't have any breath to spare for talking, but then again… ' _Can't you do anything? Tell them we didn't mean it?'_

' _I did. They don't care.'_ Then his carefully controlled tone changed to alarm. ' _Ash, duck!'_

Ash threw himself sideways, and felt wind whip at his cheeks as a Spearow missed him by inches. He changed direction, but there were Spearow ahead of him as well as behind now, and he knew it was no good. There was a river nearby, and a forest up ahead, but he knew he would never reach either before the Spearow attacked.

There was only one thing to do, and Ash didn't hesitate.

"Abra," he gasped. "You have to get in your Pokéball."

It was a long few seconds before Abra replied. ' _I beg your pardon?'_

Ash ducked a flashing talon by inches, and shook his head. "Get in your Pokéball," he repeated. "You'll be safe there."

' _But you-'_

"Don't worry about me! I'll be - Gah!"

Distracted by the argument, Ash hadn't seen the other Spearow. White fire blazed down his cheek, and he stumbled, and lost his footing. He had enough presence of mind to land on his stomach, rather than crush his partner, but then he could only cover his head as the rest of the Spearow attacked.

"Now, Abra," he pleaded. "You have to be safe."

Abra was on the ground next to him, staring up at the rapidly approaching Spearow, but at Ash's words, he turned to face Ash and Ash gasped. His partner's eyes were wide open, and blazing with fury.

' _No,'_ he said. ' _We have to be safe.'_

He raised his hands, and Ash's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you're not strong enough-"

' _Teleport.'_

Travelling by Teleport was not an experience that Ash would recommend. He felt like he was being pulled and twisted apart, with every limb being yanked in a different direction. He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything, and when he tried to scream he couldn't even open his mouth. He had no idea of Abra was with him, or if his partner had stretched himself too far and Ash would be stuck in this twisted hell forever…

Then there was solid ground under his hands, and the sun was warm on his head, and Ash sucked in air like he would never get the chance again.

"We are never doing that again," he managed, in between gasps. Never.

He waited, but the sarcastic reply he was expecting never came. Despite the warmth of the day, Ash suddenly felt cold as ice.

"Abra?"

Every muscle hurt, but Ash dragged himself to his feet. If Abra hadn't come, if he had been left for the mercy of the Spearow…

' _What did I tell you about shouting?'_

Ash spun around so fast he almost tripped over his own feet. There, lying a few feet away, was Abra, but Ash's pounding heart only sped up. He stumbled over and dropped to his knees next to his partner.

"Abra."

Abra looked terrible. His golden skin had turned an unhealthy shade of yellow, and he hadn't moved a muscle. If not for the faint flicker of warmth in the back of his mind, Ash would think him unconscious, or worse.

' _Long distance. Passenger. Interesting. Not doing that again for a while.'_

Ash choked out a laugh that was more of a sob. His hand trembled when it touched Abra's head, and Ash didn't care in the slightest. "You saved us."

Abra still didn't move, but the warmth in Ash's mind brightened a little. ' _Partners. We save each other.'_

Ash's eyes stung, and he had to take a moment to wipe them. "Yeah. We do." He took a deep breath, and forced himself to think. "You need to rest." He didn't recognise his surroundings at all. Abra could have brought them halfway across the region for all he knew. He was certainly tired enough.

' _Safe place,'_ Abra sent softly. His voice was not early fainter, but he cracked open an eye enough to glare at Ash. ' _Even you should be able to stay out of trouble for a few hours.'_

"Hey," Ash muttered, but his friend did kind of have a point. Less than an hour into his journey, and they had already had a near death experience. His cheek stung at the reminder, and he forced away the terror with an effort. Instead, he took Abra's Pokéball and held it out. "Sleep," he repeated. "I'll be fine."

Abra held his gaze a moment longer, but was too exhausted to argue. He vanished with a flash of red light, and Ash cradled the 'ball carefully in his hands. "Thank you," he whispered.

Despite the warmth of the day, he couldn't stop himself from shivering. That had been far too close. If Abra hadn't been able to get them away, if he had been just a little bit more tired…

Ash gritted his teeth, and forced that thought away. They were okay. They had survived. They would train, and they would make sure that the next time they ran into trouble, they were able to handle it better. And they would run into trouble, Ash had no doubts about that.

It was funny really, Ash had always concentrated on the fun parts of being on a journey; meeting new people and Pokémon, training hard, winning through all the Gyms until he finally reached the Indigo League. He had never really considered the reality; that he was on his own, in a world filled with creatures that could kill him with hardly any effort, with only one relatively weak Pokémon to defend him.

They had gotten lucky once. They couldn't count on that again. Ash's hand closed around Abra's Pokéball, and he took a deep breath.

"Never again," he promised. "We're going to get stronger. And then nothing is going to stop us."

He was still going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master. If he was the strongest trainer in the world, then his Pokémon, his friends, would be safe. Until then, Ash would do whatever it took to look after Abra, and anyone else he might meet in the future.

For now, though, Ash only had Abra, and until he knew his friend was all right, he wasn't going anywhere. He had the vague idea of finding a Pokémon Centre, but looking around brought absolutely no clues as to his whereabouts. There wasn't even a path he could follow, and until Abra recovered, Ash was wary about venturing any further into the woods. He had learned his lesson about antagonising wild Pokémon.

Bushes rustled behind him, and Ash swallowed. Professor Oak's words echoed in his ears, the first thing he said to anyone who wanted to learn about Pokémon.

 _Do not go into any area of wild Pokémon, whether long grass, forest, cave, or sea, without a partner of your own for protection._

Still clutching his exhausted partner's Pokéball, Ash slowly turned around.

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 **And now the fun begins...In case anyone is worried, only some Psychic-types, Aura-users, and Legendaries will be communicating this easily with humans. The rest of Ash's team will manage as usual when Abra is asleep/bored/can't be bothered to translate, so basically all the time.**

 **Any feedback would be very much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I think that's one of the best responses to a first chapter I've ever had! This one is going to be more of a set-up chapter, but I'm having a lot of fun writing this story so I plan to update fairly soon. Thank you very much for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Ash had been looking forward to his Pokémon journey for as long as he could remember. He had had it all planned out; what Pokémon he would choose, where they would go, what they would catch first, where their first Gym battle would be. He had known exactly what he was going to do.

So far, absolutely nothing had gone to plan. Instead of a Squirtle, or Bulbasaur, or even a Charmander, he had left Pallet Town with an Abra that didn't know any actual attacks. Then, not even an hour later, when he did try to catch another Pokémon, they had been attacked by a horde of Spearow. Only Abra's ability to Teleport had saved them, but now Ash didn't have the faintest idea where they were, and Abra was completely exhausted. That would be bad enough, but Ash wasn't too surprised when things got even more complicated. It had been just that kind of day.

So there he was. Alone, but for a single Pokémon that was in absolutely no shape to fight, with no idea where he was, and no way of calling for help.

And now he was surrounded by wild Pokémon.

Normally, Ash would have been delighted by the opportunity. He was finally seeing Pokémon in the wild, rather than at Professor Oak's ranch, and there were species he hadn't seen even there. He recognised a few of them, only an idiot wouldn't recognise Caterpie and Weedle and their evolutions, but the rest were new to him.

He could recognise the fact that they were angry though. That was pretty clear.

Ash swallowed, and slowly began to back away. He was starting to regret not paying more attention when Professor Oak lectured them all about all the different species native to Kanto. He really needed to start looking through his Pokédex properly. He reached for the gadget on his pocket, only to freeze as a Pokémon he did recognise moved to the front of the group.

"Bulbasaur."

Ash had always liked Bulbasaur. Not quite as much as Squirtle perhaps, but they were still awesome Pokémon. Seeing one in the wild was a real streak of luck. Or it would be, if Ash had any way of battling it. As it was, he was more alarmed by the fact that the Bulbasaur looked like the most angry Pokémon of the lot. Two vines had already extended, and Ash could read enough into its body language to know that it was ready to attack at any second.

He might be able to run, but this was the Pokémon's home turf. Besides, Ash had had enough of running for one day. He took a deep breath, and raised his hands.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "Any of you. I promise."

The Bulbasaur's eyes narrowed. None of the other Pokémon looked particularly convinced either. Ash licked suddenly dry lips, and tried again. "My name's Ash, from Pallet Town. Today is my very first day as a trainer." Inspiration struck, and he held out Abra's Pokéball. "And I couldn't battle any of you, even if I wanted to. I've only got one Pokémon, and he's completely exhausted."

Bulbasaur's eyes narrowed, and his glare moved from Ash to the Pokéball. Ash frowned, then his stomach lurched as understanding hit, and he pulled his hand back. "No! No, I won't let you touch him." He clipped the 'ball firmly back onto his belt, and glared at the Bulbasaur. "He's my friend," he growled. "He just saved my life, and if you want to battle him, you'll have to go through me!"

It was a stupid thing to say. Even weak Pokémon would have no problems injuring or killing a ten year old human, and Ash could tell that this Bulbasaur was not a weak Pokémon, but he couldn't help himself. In his weakened state Abra was in danger, and he was only in that state because he had saved Ash's life. Ash would do whatever it took to repay that debt, no matter the risk.

The Bulbasaur seemed to know it too. Its vines were still extend in readiness, but it cocked its head to one side as if it were listening. It made no move to attack at least, and that was all the encouragement Ash needed.

"I don't want to fight," he said softly. "I just want to get somewhere where my Pokémon can recover safely. I won't try to catch any of your friends, I promise."

A Paras clicked its mandibles in what Ash would swear was derision, and a small green plant-like Pokémon ducked even further behind a pair of Kakuna, but Ash kept his eyes on the Bulbasaur. That was the one that would make a decision, and somehow Ash could tell that the rest of the group would follow its lead. He could only hope that the wild Pokémon could see that he meant every single word he had said.

It felt like forever, but was really only a few minutes. Bulbasaur finally pulled its vines back, and sat back on its haunches, and Ash let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

Thank you," he whispered. "We won't cause any trouble."

Bulbasaur grunted something. Ash was willing to bet that Abra would have translated it as ' _you'd better not'_ , but that was all right. Ash would be wary of strange trainers appearing out of thin air too.

At least the other Pokémon seemed more reassured by the turn of events. The Paras, and a few of the other Bug types disappeared back into the undergrowth, but the little Pokémon Ash hadn't recognised bounced over to Ash and butted cheerfully against his shin. Ash laughed, and crouched down to pat the budding leaves that made up its head.

"It's nice to meet you too," he said. "I'm sorry for scaring you." He paused, and looked the Pokémon up and down. It was almost certainly a Grass-type, but beyond that he was lost.

Then he imagined what Abra would say, and his cheeks heated as he grabbed his Pokédex from his pocket. He really needed to remember he had a complete database on every known Pokémon with him. The screen lit up, and Ash studied the readout.

"Budew," he read. "Grass and Poison type, native to Hoenn and Sinnoh."

Ash paused, and lowered the Pokédex to stare at the Budew. It wasn't unheard of to encounter Pokémon that were native to other regions, but it was unusual for them to be this young. Then again, it also wasn't usual to find a Bulbasaur protecting a whole bunch of other Pokémon. He shrugged it off. He'd get an explanation eventually.

In the meantime, he smiled at his new friend.

"Hi, Budew," he said. "Sorry for scaring you."

The Budew beamed up at him, and Ash smiled back, pleased to be so easily forgiven. Encouraged by the success, a Bellsprout and a Rattata came over to join their friend, and Ash was soon surrounded by Pokémon. None of them were aggressive towards him in any way; they seemed more curious than anything else, and Ash was just as pleased to be able to meet new friends. It would have been the perfect opportunity to ask if any of them wanted to come with him, but Ash had promised not to catch anything, and he kept his promises. He would have plenty of time for that in the future.

The only one that hung back was Bulbasaur. The designated protector of the group continued to sit and bask in the sunlight a short distance away from them, but Ash noticed that its gaze never left the little group. One wrong move, and Ash knew that it would have no doubts whatsoever about attacking. Ash didn't mind. He couldn't be mad at someone who so clearly cared about other Pokémon. If anything it made him admire the Bulbasaur even more, but he kept his distance too. If he was going to earn the Bulbasaur's trust, he was going to have to tread very carefully.

As pleased as he was to meet them all though, Abra's Pokéball was an unforgettable weight on his belt. Ash looked round at them.

"It's really nice to meet you all, but do you know if there's anywhere safe nearby? My Abra needs help."

The Pokémon arranged a series of incomprehensible looks and sounds. Bulbasaur frowned and padded forward, but before he could do anything, Ash's stomach gave a loud rumble. Ash winced.

"Guess I'm getting kind of hungry too."

Now that he thought about it, he was definitely hungry. The sun had risen high in the sky while he was convincing the wild Pokémon he meant no harm, and Ash had been so excited to leave that morning that he had skipped breakfast. His stomach rumbled again, even more loudly this time, and Ash grimaced. It was definitely time for lunch.

Before he could start raiding his rucksack, though, Budew hopped over to Bulbasaur, and the two of them began a short, but intense conversation. Ash didn't have the faintest idea what was going on, but judging from the way Bulbasaur's eyes had narrowed, he guessed that the Bulbasaur didn't like it. He frowned and got to his feet.

"Hey, is everything all right?"

Both Pokémon paused their argument long enough to look up at him. Bulbasaur's eyes narrowed and he looked between the two of them, then he finally sighed, and turned away. Budew beamed and bounced over to stand in front of Ash, before nudging at his ankle. Ash stared down at her.

"You want me to go with you?"

No wonder Bulbasaur had not looked very happy. He was not arguing though, merely glaring at Ash, so Ash decided it must be okay to follow Budew's lead. He grabbed his bag, made sure Abra's Pokéball was still clipped to his belt, and looked down at the little Grass type.

"After you then, I guess."

Without the Pokémon guiding him, Ash would have been lost within minutes. There was still no path in sight, and with the trees blocking out the sun Ash didn't have the faintest idea which direction they were going. Budew and Bulbasaur didn't hesitate, following some secret way of their own, with Budew glancing back every few steps to make sure Ash was still with them. Ash tripped over a tree root, and pulled a face.

"Hey, don't suppose we're nearly there?"

Bulbasaur glanced back long enough to give a rather disgruntled shake of his head. Budew let out a cheerful squeak, and bounced ahead of them. Her leaves dipped forwards, and she turned back to them expectantly. Ash brightened.

"We are? Awesome!"

Maybe there would be someone who could have a look at Abra. His friend had seemed okay, other than being completely exhausted, but Ash wanted to make sure. He followed Budew around another clump of bushes, then stopped short.

"Woah."

Ash wasn't one to pay much attention to nature, but even he had to admit that the little cottage sitting by the edge of the crystal clear lake, surrounded by lush green forests, made a pretty cool picture. From where he was standing he could see more Pokémon of all different species gathered quite peacefully around the house, and the sight made him smile.

"This is really cool. You both live here?"

Budew nodded cheerfully, and started towards its friends. Bulbasaur rolled his eyes and followed, leaving Ash to hurry after them.

"Hey, wait up!"

His shouting attracted the attention of the other Pokémon. All of them tensed, and some even started gathering energy for attacks, but Bulbasaur barked something and to Ash's astonishment, every single Pokémon subsided. They still watched him, but they returned to their previous occupations, and Budew joined them with a bright smile.

"You're lucky. Bulbasaur doesn't trust many trainers here."

Ash jumped, and spun round to find himself face to face with a teenage girl. She looked to be a few years older than him, and was dressed in practical clothes with her long hair tied back. She was balancing several bowls of Pokémon food expertly on her arms, and she smiled as she met his eyes. "Take some of these for me, will you?"

Ash blinked, then jumped forward. "Right." He took the bowls in her hands and set them down in front of the Pokémon. "Okay guys, tuck in."

The Pokémon needed no encouragement. The girl set another bowl at the water's edge and started throwing food to the Magikarp and Staryu in the water. Ash joined her, and she gave him another smile.

"I'm Melanie, by the way."

Ash grinned at her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ash, from Pallet Town." He gave her a curious look. "What did you mean when you said I was lucky?"

Melanie took a moment to pass a handful of food to a shy little Horsea, before raising an eyebrow at Ash. "You might have noticed that Bulbasaur isn't the most trusting of Pokémon."

Ash snorted. "Yeah, I got that." He looked round at the happily playing Pokémon. "But I think I can see why now."

Melanie rose to her feet, brushing dust from her jeans, and smiled at him. "This is a sanctuary for Pokémon," she said. "Especially Pokémon that have had bad experiences with humans in the past. Bulbasaur feels responsible for protecting all of them."

"Bad experiences?" Ash repeated, with a frown, then he caught himself and grimaced. Despite the best efforts of the police, Gym Leaders, and concerned organisations, Ash had heard enough stories from Professor Oak to know that not everyone appreciated Pokémon like they should.

Melanie's face was equally grim. "Some people do not deserve to be trainers."

Ash looked over to where Bulbasaur was standing guard over Budew and the others, and just nodded. Melanie scattered the last of the food, and started collecting the empty bowls.

"So, how did you meet Bulbasaur?" she asked. "And how did you get here from Pallet Town so fast?"

It wasn't surprising that she knew he was a new trainer, Professor Oak's Pokémon distribution dates were well known, but Ash was suddenly too preoccupied to think about that.

"Abra!"

Melanie blinked. "What-?"

"My starter," said Ash impatiently. "We got attacked by a flock of Spearow and we couldn't fight so he Teleported us all the way here but he was really tired afterwards-"

"Ash, slow down," Melanie interrupted. "You say he Teleported you from Pallet Town?" Ash nodded, and she started in the direction of the little cottage. "Then it's probably just exhaustion, but I'll have a look just to be sure."

Ash followed, his heart pounding with a mixture of relief and guilt. They were lucky to have found someone who could help, but he couldn't believe he'd just forgotten about his partner like that. Abra had saved his life. He deserved better.

Ash gritted his teeth. From now on, his Pokémon came first.

Abra didn't stir when Ash released him onto the cot in the corner, but Melanie took one look at the little Psychic-type and blinked.

"I know this Abra!"

Ash stared at her. "You do?" Then he thought about it and brightened. "So that's why he brought us this way! He knew we'd be safe here."

Melanie smiled and began a careful examination of the exhausted Pokémon. "Abra are very intelligent, and this one used to visit us quite often. It's not surprising that he would think of this place as a sanctuary."

Ash smiled, pleased to have an explanation. He would be even happier when Abra woke up, but at least he knew they would both be safe here. Melanie finished her examination and smiled at Ash.

"He'll be fine," she said gently. "He'll sleep for even longer than usual, but he should be back to normal in a day or two."

Ash let out a long breath and sat down in one of the wooden chairs. "Thanks," he said. He hesitated, but it was worth a shot. "Is it all right if we stay until he's better? I mean, I can take him to a Pokémon Centre, but-"

"Ash, do you really think I'm going to let you go wandering through these woods with only an exhausted Abra for company?" Melanie interrupted. "Of course you can stay the night." Her eyes twinkled. "Provided you make yourself useful and help keep an eye on my other guests."

Ash laughed. "I can do that."

It was really the least he could do, and spending a couple of days looking after rare Pokémon was hardly going to be a problem. Melanie nodded in approval, but just as she opened her mouth to reply there was an excited squeak. Ash jumped and glanced round in time to see something small and pink disappear behind a corner.

"What-?"

Melanie smiled and rose to her feet. "I suppose I should probably tell you if you're going to be staying." She walked across the room and crouched down. "It's all right," she said gently. "This is Ash. He's a friend."

There was silence for a moment, then a little pink Pokémon inched around the doorframe. Ash smiled, and squatted next to Melanie. "Hi there," he said. "I'm Ash. It's nice to meet you."

The Pokémon ducked behind Melanie's ankles with another squeak, and Melanie gave Ash a rueful smile. "She's a little shy."

Ash nodded. "What kind of Pokémon is she?"

"A Happiny," Melanie replied. "They're the unevolved form of Chansey."

Ash's eyes widened. "That's so cool! I didn't know Chansey evolved from anything!"

Melanie smiled, and lifted her friend into her arms. Happiny huddled against her chest, sparing a quick wary glance in Ash's direction, and Melanie patted her head. "Not all of them do," she said. "But if a Chansey is holding a particular type of incense, then their egg will hatch into a Happiny."

Ash frowned. That sounded a lot more complicated than anything Professor Oak had told him. Then again, Ash had always been more interested by the idea of battling than breeding. His confusion must have shown on his face, for Melanie shook her head.

"It's not important. She's been practicing her healing moves though, so she should be able to help Abra recover more quickly."

Ash brightened at that. "Really? Thank you so much!"

His voice rose in his excitement and Happiny shrank back, but any apology was cut off by the vine that flicked at Ash's ankles. Ash yelped, and looked down to find Bulbasaur glaring at him.

"What was that for?"

Bulbasaur growled and moved to stand in front of Melanie, who winced. "Bulbasaur is a little protective of her," she said. Bulbasaur continued to glare at Ash, and she sighed. "Perhaps you could wait outside while she works?"

As much as Ash wanted to be there for Abra, he wasn't quite stupid enough to argue with Bulbasaur. He slipped past and out the door, where he was promptly tackled by an excited little Grass-type.

"Woah! Take it easy there!"

Budew shuffled back with an apologetic squeak, and Ash couldn't hold onto his irritation. He crouched and patted his new friend's head. "It's okay," he said.

Budew brightened immediately, and promptly launched itself at Ash's chest. The impact was just enough to knock him off balance, and Ash winced as he sat down hard in the grass. "You sure have a lot of energy."

Budew chirped happily and hopped off Ash's chest in the direction of the other Pokémon, then paused and waved her leaves at him. Ash blinked, then grinned. "Okay, I'm coming."

Ash spent the next hour playing with Budew and some of the other visiting Pokémon, including what his Pokédex identified as an Oddish, a Weepinbell, and a Farfetch'd, but despite his best efforts, Ash wasn't able to keep his thoughts from wandering back to the cottage. Sure, Melanie had said that Abra would be fine, but it was one of those things that Ash needed to hear from himself.

Something bumped against his ankle, and Ash looked down to see Budew watching him in obvious concern. A smile came without an effort; the little Grass-type was proving surprisingly good at noticing when he was getting upset. Ash shook himself and picked up his new friend.

"C'mon, let's see if Bulbasaur will let us in yet."

Bulbasaur was soaking up the sun in front of the house, but as soon as Ash approached its eyes snapped open and it let out a low growl. Ash stopped and scowled.

"Hey, I'm not gonna do anything. I just need to know if my friend is okay."

Budew added an emphatic squeak. Bulbasaur continued to glare at them, but just as Ash was opening his mouth to continue the argument, the door swung open and Melanie stepped out, Happiny in her arms. She paused at the sight of Ash and smiled.

"He's awake."

Ash needed no further encouragement. "Thanks!" he called, as he darted past her. Budew fidgeted in his arms, but Ash only had eyes for his partner.

Who looked fast asleep.

Ash huffed a laugh, and slumped into the chair next to him.

"You really had me worried there."

' _I'll try not to make a habit of it. Especially if you're going to start fights the minute I close my eyes.'_

"Bulbasaur was the one who wanted to fight," Ash protested, but he was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Warm amusement brushed against his mind, and he settled back into the chair. "How are you feeling?"

' _Tired.'_

"How are you feeling that's different from normal?" Ash clarified, with a grin.

Abra snorted. ' _I'm fine.'_ He paused, dark eyes flickering to Budew. ' _I see you've made a friend.'_

Budew chirped an agreement, and Ash patted her on the head. "Yeah, she's awesome." He chewed on his lip from a moment, grin fading. "Abra?"

' _Mm?'_

"I'm sorry you got hurt," said Ash quietly. "I should have been more careful."

Abra eyed him. ' _I don't recall you hitting a Spearow with a rock.'_ Ash opened his mouth, but the Psychic-type beat him to it, ' _It was an accident. I wasn't paying enough attention, and I'm sorry too. We'll both do better next time.'_

Ash swallowed, then nodded firmly. "Yeah, we will."

He felt the now-familiar dry amusement, and let himself relax for the first time all day. They had learned their lesson and they would be more careful and above all, they were getting to get stronger. Neither had to speak, they knew it was true.

The moment was broken when Budew shifted on Ash's lap. Abra glanced at her, then at Ash.

' _She likes you.'_

Ash opened his mouth, then caught himself and concentrated. ' _I like her too.'_ He felt the silent question, and lifted one shoulder in a faint shrug. ' _Dunno yet.'_

Abra eyed him a moment longer, then closed his eyes again. ' _I'll leave you to it. Don't wake me up.'_

Ash rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it," he murmured.

There was no reply, and Ash spared a moment to marvel at his friend's ability to fall asleep at the slightest opportunity. Budew wriggled out of his lap and onto a folded blanket with an imperious squeak, and it took Ash only a second to get the message.

"Thanks," he whispered to her, as he spread the blanket over Abra. His starter sent a fuzzy flicker of appreciation, and Ash picked up Budew and made his way back over to where Melanie was mixing medicines at the table. She looked up as he sat down opposite her.

"He'll be fine by tomorrow," she said quietly. "Try not to worry."

It was easier to smile now that he had actually spoken to his partner. "Right." He craned his neck to look at the herbs and berries in front of her. "What's all this?"

Melanie scooped some tangy-smelling salve into a jar. "Just some basic medicines. Happiny is too young to heal every injury that comes by, and it's useful to have some alternatives for the Pokémon that are wary of human medicines."

Ash nodded thoughtfully. He had Potions and other items with him, but maybe it would help to know a bit about this kind of thing. He and Abra hadn't exactly managed to stay out of trouble so far. Melanie caught his eye and smiled.

"I can show you some if you'd like."

Ash grinned back. "Thanks!"

He turned to look at the array of berries on the table, but before he could ask any questions, Budew wriggled out of his arms and hopped back over to where Abra was sleeping. Ash started to follow, but paused when Melanie shook her head.

"She's just going to keep an eye on him," she murmured. Her smile turned rueful. "It's not like she doesn't know all this already."

Ash lowered his own voice. "Hey, Melanie? You know you said some Pokémon were here 'cause they'd had bad experiences with humans…"

He trailed off, unsure how to finish the question. Melanie's smile faded. "Yes," she said softly. "Budew was abandoned by her original trainer."

Ash had suspected as much, given how unusual it was to find one in Kanto, but the knowledge still left him gritting his teeth. Melanie didn't take her eyes from the Grass-type as she continued, "Bulbasaur found her a few months ago. I don't think she really likes staying here, but she's too young to go out into the wild by herself."

Bulbsaur growled in acknowledgement, and Ash looked down to see him rocking the sleepy Happiny in his vines. Even with most of his attention on her, he was still keeping an eye on Budew. Ash scratched his head.

"He really looks after everyone here, doesn't he?"

Melanie's smile turned a little rueful. "I've told him he should go and see the world, but he cares too much about Happiny and the others. It's a shame really. I try to encourage the Pokémon that come here to return to the wild, or find themselves a friend when they can."

Ash didn't need the not so subtle mental nudge from his starter to catch the lead. "All of them?"

Melanie opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Budew launched herself into Ash's lap with an excited shriek. Ash quickly steadied her, and smiled to find her vibrating with anticipation.

"I guess that answers that question." He glanced up at Melanie. "If that's okay, I mean."

Bulbasaur let out a low grumble but didn't move. Melanie's eyes narrowed as she looked at them, then her face broke into a smile. "She's met a few trainers passing through, and she's never liked them as much as you. And she is old enough."

Ash blinked, then laughed and hugged his new friend. "Hear that, Budew? You wanna come with me?"

He might not be able to communicate with her as easily as with Abra, but there was no mistaking her response. Seeing no point in wasting time, Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his bag, then paused and grinned at Abra.

"So much for having to fight them first!"

Abra didn't move, but Ash could feel him rolling his eyes. Ash didn't care. He watched Budew vanish into the Pokéball, and wondered if it was possible to explode from happiness. Abra was going to be fine, and now they had a new friend to continue their journey with.

It had been an awesome day after all.

* * *

 **Any feedback would be very much appreciated.**

 **Next time, a wild rival appears...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Deadlines have passed, and I am free! I'm going to be updating both this and my Harry Potter fic regularly from now on. Hopefully. Thank you very much for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Ash left Melanie's sanctuary bright and early the next morning. Abra was fully recovered and snoozing quite contentedly in his Pokéball, while Budew bounced at his feet. She was busy saying goodbye to Bulbasaur and Happiny, and Melanie took the opportunity to give Ash a few final tips.

"Remember that those herbs will make your Pokémon feel a lot better, but they're also horribly bitter so don't expect them to like it. Berries are a much nicer option, but at least the herbs won't spoil."

"I'll remember," Ash promised. He was a lot better supplied than he had been when he left Pallet Town, that was for sure.

Melanie smiled at him. "Remember to come back and visit. We'd all love to see how you're all getting on."

"You got it." He glanced down at Budew, who chirped and returned herself to her Pokéball with a final cheerful wave, and then took a deep breath. "Okay then. Thanks for everything, Melanie. Take care, Bulbasaur."

He started down the path, only to pause when Melanie called after him, "Ash, Cerulean is the other way!"

Ash blushed, and corrected himself. Stupid forest looked the same in every direction.

Heading for Cerulean had been a fairly easy decision to make. It was closer than either Celadon or Saffron, and it had a Gym that specialised in Water-types, a fact that both Ash and Budew had found very interesting. Abra had gone with sleeping over expressing a preference, so they had settled on Cerulean.

Ash didn't even try to keep the smile from his face. It would take about a week to reach the city, but that just meant there would be plenty of time for training. He might even catch something else. Abra and Budew were awesome, and Gym Leaders never went too hard on beginner trainers, but it still couldn't hurt to have more options. More importantly, this was his first real step on the road to becoming a Pokémon Master.

It was a great day to be a trainer. It was just Ash and his Pokémon, and the open road.

"Hey, you!"

Or maybe not. Ash spun round and found himself face to face with a purple-haired boy about his own age. There were three Pokéballs on his belt, and a cocky smile on his face. Ash grinned back.

"Hi! You're a trainer, right?"

"You got it," said the boy. "Now battle me!"

Ash felt the flicker at the back of his mind that indicated Abra was paying attention, but that question wasn't one he needed to think about. "Yeah, let's do it!"

"Hold it!" called a sharp voice, and Ash blinked as a teenager came jogging up to them. He looked enough like the boy that they had to be related, and the frown on his face as he looked at Ash's challenger only supported that conclusion.

"What have I told you, Paul?"

Paul blushed slightly, and drew himself up as he turned back to Ash. "Hello, my name is Paul. Would you like to have a battle with me?"

Ash blinked again, then smiled. "Sure. I'm Ash from Pallet Town." He held out his hand, and Paul shook it with a smile. The older boy nodded approvingly.

"That's better. And I'm Reggie, Paul's older brother."

Ash eyed him. He wasn't old-old, not like his mom or Professor Oak, but he was way older than them. "You're not doing the Gym Challenge, are you?"

Reggie laughed, but it was Paul who answered. "He did that ages ago! He's got badges from all over the Home Islands."

Ash's jaw dropped. "That's so cool!" Most people didn't even complete their home region's challenge, let alone anywhere else.

Paul smirked at the acknowledgement of his brother's skill, but Reggie rubbed the back of his head rather sheepishly. "I like travelling. Anyway, there's this new challenge I'm trying now, and so Paul's starting his journey here instead of back home in Sinnoh."

"I've got my first badge already," said Paul proudly. He grabbed a case from his bag, and held out a shiny badge. "Erika was so easy!"

"That's so cool!" The name rang a faint bell. Ash made a mental note to look up Gym Leaders, and felt Abra roll his eyes.

Paul was grinning as he carefully replaced his badge case. "Yeah, I know. How many badges do you have?"

"None yet," Ash admitted. "But I only started yesterday," he added, when Paul raised an eyebrow. "I'm on my way to Cerulean so I can get my first one!"

Paul eyed him, his grin fading into a frown. "Huh. Well, guess you won't be much of a challenge, but my Pokémon could use the practice."

"Hey!"

"Paul," said Reggie, with a sigh. "That was unnecessary."

Ash just glared. Who did that stuck-up pest think he was? Paul rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We gonna battle or not?"

"You bet," Ash growled. He grabbed Budew's Pokéball and held it up. "When I win you'll have to see that I'm going to be the greatest Pokémon Master ever."

"We'll see about that," Paul scoffed. He had his own Pokéball ready, and his eyes were gleaming. "How many Pokémon do you even have?"

"Two, and they're both way more than you can handle."

Paul opened his mouth, but before he could say anything there was a flash of red light, and Abra appeared in mid-air. He ignored Paul completely in favour of glaring at Ash.

 _'_ _You do remember that none of us have ever been in a battle before, don't you?'_

Ash scowled. "So?"

The glare intensified. _'I have no attacks! Have you even checked to see if Budew does?'_

Ash opened his mouth, then noticed Paul and Reggie staring, and closed it again. _'I'm not stupid,'_ he thought fiercely. _'She knows all the powder moves.'_

 _'And?'_

 _'And what?'_ Ash demanded. _'She's going to do great!'_

As if sensing that she was the topic of discussion, Budew appeared from the Pokéball and bounced happily at Ash's feet. Ash grinned at her, but Abra just sighed.

 _'_ _So we're going to fight a trainer who is more experienced than you, and whose Pokémon have already beaten a Gym Leader. We, meanwhile, have never been in a battle, and have only one move between us that can actually damage an opponent. Yes, this is definitely going to go well.'_

Ash glared at him, but Paul chose that moment to run out of patience.

"Are we going to battle or not?" He smirked. "Not that I could blame you if you're scared."

Ash vaguely felt Abra groan, but all his attention was focused on his opponent. "Scared? We're not scared, and we'll prove it right now. You ready, Budew?"

Budew nodded and did her best to look threatening. Reggie broke into a coughing fit, but when Ash eyed him, his face was carefully blank. He looked at them, and nodded.

"All right, we'll make this a two Pokémon battle. Paul, are you ready?"

"For this loser?" Reggie frowned, and Paul rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm ready." He hefted the Pokéball. "Spearow, get ready to battle."

A small but very angry bird appeared, leaving Ash wincing. "Oh man. Why did it have to be Spearow?"

The memories of being swarmed were still a bit too raw for comfort, and the scab on his cheek was stinging. Judging from the way Abra shifted behind him, he wasn't the only one having problems.

 _'_ _She doesn't have to deal with that,'_ said Abra curtly. _'She wasn't there, but this still isn't a good match-up. Wait, Ash, please tell me you do know the type chart?'_

Ash scowled, but the reminder was enough to distract him from the previous day and he waved a hand. "I'm not an idiot."

"Could have fooled me," Paul called.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

"All right," said Reggie loudly. "Are you both ready?"

Ash looked at Budew. She seemed utterly undaunted by the Flying-type glaring at her, and Ash found a smile tugging at his lips. Even with his lingering wariness, and the concern emanating from Abra, their teammate's enthusiasm was infectious. "Yes!"

Paul nodded, and Reggie smiled. "Then begin!"

"All right! Budew, Powders!"

Abra's eyes actually opened. _'Don't you need to be a bit more specific than that?'_

Ash grinned. "Nope."

Okay, so he wasn't going to admit it, but he hadn't paid much attention to type advantages and disadvantages when Professor Oak tried to teach him about it. That stuff had always seemed so boring, and there was loads of cool stuff Ash could have been doing, and had ended up doing, instead.

But after his first day hadn't quite gone according to plan, Ash had changed his mind. Medicines weren't the only thing Melanie had helped him go over the previous evening. After realising that one of the Pokémon under her care was going to be going headlong into battle, she had been only too happy to let him bounce ideas off her.

Flying-types were a common sight in Kanto, and after the mess with the Spearow, figuring out a counter had been at the very top of Ash's priorities.

Sure enough, seconds later Budew could barely be seen through the haze of purple, yellow, and green spores. Ash nudged Abra.

"See? She can't get hurt if they can't get near her." He raised his voice. "That's great, Budew!"

Budew squeaked an acknowledgement, and the cloud of powder around her thickened. Ash grinned. As soon as Spearow tried to attack it would be immobilised, and then Budew just had to stay out the way long enough for the poison to work. It was a perfect plan.

"Spearow, use Gust!"

"What?" Ash yelled. "Budew, more of everything!"

Budew obeyed, her small form vanishing completely as the storm of powder intensified. For a moment Ash thought she might actually pull it off, but Spearow was too strong. The wind picked up with a howl, scattering the various powders and leaving Budew completely exposed, and barely able to dodge the viciously stabbing beak.

"Budew!"

Abra sighed. _'Really? You didn't expect a Flying-type to use wind attacks? You see those feathered things, those are called wings and they're good at blowing things away!'_

 _'_ _Not helpful,'_ Ash shot back, then raised his voice. "It's okay, Budew, just keep moving!"

But it was too late. Spearow lunged forward with a bloodthirsty shriek, and Ash's friend went tumbling across the grass.

Paul rolled his eyes. "I just beat Erika, remember? She did stuff like that too."

Ash ignored him in favour of running to Budew. "Are you okay?"

Budew blinked up at him and gave a weak squeak. Ash swallowed. "Don't worry, you did great." He paused, but though Budew managed to flip herself upright she ended up staggering against him, and that made up his mind. "Budew can't battle anymore."

Reggie nodded, and Ash returned her to her Pokéball. For a moment he crouched there, heart pounding. That had been intense.

 _'_ _Ash, look at Spearow.'_

Ash scowled round, then blinked.

Despite the decisiveness of the battle, Spearow hadn't come out unscathed. Its breath was coming in sharp rasps, and even as Ash watched it stumbled on its feet. Paul stared at it.

"What? But it blew away the powder."

Reggie hummed. "Interesting. Ash, it looks like your Budew has the Poison Point ability."

"Really?" He looked at Spearow, then at Budew's Pokéball and smiled. "Awesome."

At least he'd learned something a bit more promising this battle. There had to be a way they could use that. He felt Abra's interest, and made a mental note to look up his starter's ability after the battle too.

"I'm going to change Pokémon then," Paul announced. "Spearow needs a rest."

Reggie nodded approvingly, and Ash frowned. Going back into the Pokéball wouldn't cure the poisoning, but it would let the Flying-type recover some energy. Abra was going to be in for a tough time.

"Okay," he said quietly. "I guess try and take his other Pokémon out quickly so Spearow can't recover too much." In a louder voice, he added, "Abra, I choose you!"

 _'_ _Of course you do,'_ Abra muttered. _'I'm the only other Pokémon you have.'_

He floated forward to take up his position in front of Ash, and Ash winced. _'You okay with this?'_

 _'_ _It's a bit late to be asking now,'_ Abra pointed out, rather waspishly. ' _Can you see anything that I can throw at whatever he picks? Or have any other ideas?'_

Ash scanned their surroundings, but aside from the odd sticks and branches, the clearing was annoyingly free of potential weapons. They really needed better attacks. Or any attacks. _'Dodge until they're worn out, then throw them into a tree?'_ he finally suggested. _'And see if you can get those Psychic attacks worked out like Melanie suggested.'_

A wave of Abra's frustration washed over him. _'Once this is done, we need to do some serious training,_ ' his partner grumbled. ' _I am not doing this again.'_

 _'_ _Fine by me.'_

A loud cough interrupted the discussion, and Ash looked up to see both Paul and Reggie staring at him. Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready to continue?"

Ash nodded for the both of them. Paul frowned, but took one of the other Pokéballs from his belt. "Turtwig, get ready to battle."

"Turtwig?" Ash repeated. His eyes widened at the sight of the green and brown Pokémon. "Cool! Is that Pokémon from Sinnoh?"

He had certainly never seen one before. Paul nodded. "The Sinnoh starters are Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup," he explained. "But Turtwig is the best."

Turtwig barked an agreement, and Ash grinned. "Yeah? Well my starter is the best of all. You show them what you can do, Abra!"

 _'_ _That won't take long.'_

Ash rolled his eyes. "Stop thinking like that! You'll be fine."

Reggie smiled, and stepped back out of the way. "Then let round two begin!"

As before, Paul immediately went on the offensive. "Turtwig, Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig lowered his head, and a wave of spinning leaves shot through the air towards Abra. The attack was dead on target, but at the last moment Abra blinked out of sight and reappeared behind his opponent.

"All right!" Ash yelled. "That's how we do it."

Abra gestured, and a pulse of energy sent Turtwig stumbling forward. It wasn't enough to cause any damage though, and only another quick Teleport saved him from a sudden Tackle.

 _'_ _Any ideas?'_

Ash frowned. _'Can you do that attack again, but make it stronger?'_

Abra's tail flicked as he Teleported again. _'I think so, but I can't keep this up for long.'_

Ash winced, remembering Oak's words about Abra's sleep needs. _'Okay, do your best. You're doing great so far.'_

There was a warm flicker of acknowledgement from Abra but the moment was interrupted by an indignant shout from Paul.

"Hey, he's not calling attacks out loud! Reggie, that's not fair!"

"It's a perfectly acceptable use of a Psychic-type's abilities," Reggie called back. "You might as well get used to it now."

Ash smirked. If they couldn't get by with brute force, they had to be sneaky. Paul scowled, and looked back at Turtwig. "It won't make a difference anyway. Turtwig, use Absorb!"

Abra dodged again, but Ash didn't miss the fact that the green energy got closer than the leaves had. Abra unleashed another Psychic wave, but Ash could feel his weariness growing, and the attack barely made Turtwig flinch.

Paul's eyes gleamed. "All right, he's getting tired! Turtwig, use Bite!"

"Watch out!" Ash yelled. He could see the Dark-type energy swirling around Turtwig's mouth, and there was no way he wanted Abra anywhere near that. He felt his partner try to Teleport, but he had used too much energy and Ash could only watch in horror as Turtwig's jaws clamped down on Abra's shoulder.

Up until that moment, Ash had assumed that Abra communicated solely through telepathy, and that their species didn't ever see the need to make actual noise. The scream that burst from Abra's lips proved him wrong.

"Abra!"

The psychic roar of pain that echoed in his mind was even worse, and Ash forgot about Paul, forgot about everything else, and ran to his partner. Turtwig backed off at his approach, and Ash dropped to his knees.

"Abra?"

Both screams died out as Abra huddled into his chest. All he was broadcasting were disjointed impressions of pain and fear that made Ash's head spin. "It's okay," he whispered, as he tried to think comforting thoughts. "I've got you."

"Told you I'd win," Paul announced.

Ash's head snapped up, but before he could start yelling Reggie was in between them.

"Paul," he said grimly. "You did well. Now show some compassion."

To Ash's surprise, a pink tinge spread across Paul's face, and he ducked his head. "Right." He recalled Turtwig, then walked over to crouch next to Ash. "How is he?"

Ash looked down. He couldn't see any blood, Turtwig's teeth had been too blunt to break the skin, but the Dark-typed energy of the Bite attack had been more than enough. Abra was still shaking, and Ash guessed it was as much from the shock as the pain.

"Here."

Ash looked up to find Reggie holding out a Sitrus berry. The older boy gave him a reassuring smile. "He will be all right," he promised. "The first battles are always hardest on a young Pokémon, but Turtwig didn't cause any serious damage."

"Course not," Paul muttered. "It was only a friendly battle."

Reggie raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. Ash helped Abra eat the berry, and as Abra's shaking began to fade, Ash finally found he could breathe more easily. Battling had been fun, but there was nothing fun about seeing his partner hurt like this.

"It's perfectly normal for a Psychic Pokémon to react like this the first time they really encounter a Dark-type Pokémon or move," Reggie explained quietly.

 _'_ _Void,'_ Abra whispered.

"Void?" Ash repeated.

"What does that mean?" Paul asked, glancing up at his brother.

Reggie shook his head. "Dark-types, and Ghost-types for that matter, aren't quite like other Pokémon. They're...different." He gave a helpless shrug. "You'll need to ask someone a lot smarter than me for more than that, but I think that's why those two types are strong against Psychic Pokémon."

Ash frowned. "You mean they can't handle the...weirdness? And it messes with their powers?"

Abra flinched against his chest. _'Hurt,'_ he agreed. _'Other. Disruption. Couldn't focus. Couldn't think.'_

The fear in his thoughts was enough to make Ash's heart rate pick up, and he rested a protective hand on his friend's back. "It's okay," he said quietly. "We'll work out a way to deal with it."

Abra was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and levitated out of Ash's arms. He regarded Paul in silence, before turning to Ash. _'Please thank him for the battle,'_ he said. _'I know how much we need to improve now.'_

Ash relayed the message, and Paul grinned at him. "You were tougher than I was expecting," he said generously. "We'll have to have a rematch when you've trained up a bit."

Abra's enthusiasm for that idea fed Ash's, and he grinned back. "Fine by us, but you'd better get ready to lose."

The shook hands under Reggie's watchful eye. The older boy muttered something about rivalries under his breath, before shaking Ash's hand in turn. "You did well for your first proper battle," he said. "Get to know your Pokémon, train them up, work out new strategies, and I think you'll go far."

"Thanks, both of you," said Ash.

"It was our pleasure," Reggie assured him. He checked a slightly battered gadget on his wrist, and pushed himself back to his feet. "But we'd better get going. I'm trying to track down the Battle Pyramid, and every time I get close it moves."

Ash and Paul got up too, and Paul grinned at his brother. "But when you do find it, you're gonna kick Brandon's ass!"

Reggie laughed and ruffled his hair. "I certainly plan to."

"Hey," Paul protested, ducking out of arm's reach. He grabbed his bag, and waved to Ash. "See you then. Make sure you're stronger next time we meet!"

"You too!" Ash yelled after him.

Reggie chuckled, and picked up his own bag. "I think this is going to work out." He paused then, his expression turning serious. "One question though, Ash."

"Yeah?"

"You want to be a Pokémon Master," said Reggie. "But what does that mean to you?"

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

Reggie smiled and settled his rucksack into place. "Think about it. We'll see you around."

With that, he headed after his brother.

Ash stared after them for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? A Pokémon Master was a Pokémon Master, that was all there was to it. They were the strongest, smartest, most skilled trainers in the world. That was all Ash had ever wanted to be.

Ash chewed on his lip. Maybe he did have to think this through a bit.

Then everything flew from his mind as he lunged forward just fast enough to stop Abra from crashing into the ground.

"Hey, you okay?"

 _'_ _Tired,'_ Abra mumbled.

Ash couldn't blame him. That had been a lot of Teleporting, and it had been his first try battling. He glanced at the sun, guessing it was around midday, and nodded. "Okay, we're stopping for a bit."

He settled Abra carefully under a tree out of the beating sun, then grabbed his bag and joined him. Budew burst out of her Pokéball as Ash sat down, and Ash looked her over carefully.

"How are you feeling now?"

She butted his hand with a cheery chirp. Her wounds were superficial, to Ash's relief, and a Potion was enough to clear up the worst of it. Ash patted her head.

"You were great," he told her. "We just need to work out some more strategies. There's gotta be some good Grass moves you can learn." He grinned. "And Poison ones too."

Budew squeaked something. Ash frowned. "You're worried about Flying-types?" She nodded, and he scratched his head. "Yeah, me too, but we'll think of something. I promise."

She seemed happy enough with that assurance, her usual exuberance returning immediately, and Ash turned to Abra. "So, what did you think of your first proper battle?"

 _'_ _It was more stimulating than I was expecting,'_ Abra admitted. _'Apart from the getting bitten part.'_ He shuddered, and looked up at Ash. _'What moves can I learn that are effective against Dark-types?'_

Ash grinned and opened up his Pokédex. Budew hopped on to his lap, and together they looked at the lists. After a moment, Ash blinked. "Huh. Okay. I guess that explains why that attack wasn't working."

He turned the screen so that Abra could read it. The Psychic-type took one look at it and let out a huff. _'Why shouldn't I be able to learn a new move without using a TM?'_

Ash had to laugh at his indignation. "Well, you do have to sleep for a few hours every time you do anything right now. I guess it gets easier to handle more power when you evolve." He certainly hoped so anyway.

Abra glared at him, but the effect was ruined a moment later by a jaw cracking yawn. Ash grinned, and after a moment his partner relented. ' _Then I will train as best I can. Increasing my stamina will only help me after I evolve.'_

"Great!" said Ash cheerfully. He looked back at the list. "I guess we can have a look at TMs when we get to Cerulean," he added after a moment. "A Fairy-typed one would be good. I've heard they can take a lot of training to use properly though, so maybe we should wait a bit…Huh?"

He looked down at Budew, who had been bouncing impatiently on his leg, only for the Grass-type to nod at Abra. Ash followed her gaze, and smiled. His partner was once again fast asleep. Ash returned him to his Pokéball with a quiet movement, then glanced at Budew.

"You want a rest too? Or would you rather stay out for a bit?"

There was a happy squeak, and she bounced out of the shade to start soaking up the sun. Ash watched her for a minute, then folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He had a lot to work on. How to use Budew's Poison Point, how to teach both his friends how to use proper damaging attacks, how to build up Abra's strength so that he didn't get exhausted by only a single battle…

Despite all of that though, there was one thought that kept running through his mind.

What sort of Pokémon Master did he want to be?

* * *

 **Yeah. Paul. I'm not a fan of his, but I can't deny that he's interesting. It wasn't a great match for Ash, but he has only been doing this for a day.**

 **I also don't understand why Pidgey can learn Gust and Spearow can't, but I'm going to be more flexible with movesets anyway. If I can think of a logical reason for why Pokémon could learn a certain move, it's all fair game.**

 **Any feedback would be very much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I'm back. Apologies for the delay, there's a full explanation on my profile page. Thank you for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

"Oh, Ash, isn't she adorable!"

Ash cringed, even as Budew beamed at the screen. "Mom…"

He was really regretting doing this in the middle of the Pokémon Centre. Yeah, he'd promised to call as soon as he could, but did moms have to be so loud? He ignored the grins he could see out the corner of his eye, and focused on his mom's smiling face.

"She's doing well," he told her. "She's getting really strong."

Budew preened under the attention and Ash rubbed her head. She deserved it. It had taken the whole of the journey to Cerulean, but they had Absorb and Poison Sting down. Neither were strong moves, but when combined with her array of powders they had been enough to take down most of the wild Pokémon they had encountered.

"I'm glad to hear it," said Delia, with a smile. "She certainly looks very happy. And how is Abra getting on?"

Abra released himself from his Pokéball long enough to wave a claw at the screen, then returned to his nap. Ash scratched his head. "He's okay, I guess."

"Ash?"

Ash glanced down at the Pokéball on his belt and sighed. "He's been getting kinda frustrated."

Ash thought his partner had been doing great. He could do loads more Teleporting before getting tired, and he was gaining power and accuracy with telekinesis as well. It was just the pure Psychic-attacks that were the problem, but it was a problem that Ash just didn't know how to handle.

Delia listened with a sympathetic frown, and when Ash finished she sighed. "It sounds like you're already doing what you can, Ash. You're building up his stamina, and I'm sure that will make it easier for him to develop his techniques. You'll both just have to be patient."

Ash pulled a face, and they both laughed. Patience had never been one of Ash's strong points. For Abra, though, he would try.

"Are you planning to challenge the Gym now, Ash?" Delia asked, once she'd stopped laughing. "I thought you wanted to catch all the Pokémon you could."

Ash frowned as he tried to think how to explain himself. "I was going to," he said slowly. "But then I had that battle with Paul."

He couldn't help scowling at the memory of his defeat. He had done his best, but it hadn't been good enough. Delia's eyes softened, but she let him gather his thoughts without interrupting.

"I lost because I hadn't spent enough time with my Pokémon," Ash said finally. "I shouldn't have let Abra battle when I know he couldn't attack properly, and I should have had more than one strategy to use with Budew." It didn't matter that he had only been a trainer for two days at that point. His Pokémon were his partners, and they needed him to be better. Ash nodded to himself and looked back at his mom. "I'm not going to let any of them get hurt because I was too busy trying to catch lots of different Pokémon."

Delia gave him a warm smile. "That sounds like a very good way of thinking, Ash. Oh, my baby boy is growing up!"

"Mom," Ash groaned.

Delia laughed. "So, are you sure you're ready for the Gym?"

Budew let out an indignant chirp. Ash grinned. "We won't know until we try, but I think so. We've worked really hard."

"I can tell," said Delia fondly. "I'm so proud of you, Ash."

Ash felt his cheeks heat up, and he ducked his head. "Thanks, Mom," he mumbled.

He ended the call a few minutes later feeling much better. The Pokémon Centre was fairly empty now, and so Ash had space to set Budew on the sofa next to him and send Abra out. His Starter shot him an annoyed look.

' _Am I going to get any sleep today?'_

Ash eyed him. "The last fifteen hours weren't enough?"

He was only half teasing. He wasn't going to fight a Gym Battle if his partner wasn't on top form. Abra tilted his head to one side, then shrugged.

' _Fine. Are we ready?'_

Budew nodded vigorously, almost falling off the seat in her excitement. Ash looked at the two, and his heart swelled with pride. He'd anticipated catching a lot more Pokémon before tackling a Gym, but that was before he'd battled Paul and realised just how hard he would have to work to be a good trainer. He was definitely going to catch more Pokémon in the future, but for now Abra and Budew needed all the attention he could give them.

' _Ash?'_

Ash shook himself and grinned. "Yeah. Let's do this."

The Cerulean Gym was easy to find. Ash had checked with Nurse Joy while he registered for the Indigo League, and was glad he had when she told him that the Gym had not one, but four certified Leaders. They all specialised in Water-types, and they would all scale their challenge appropriately for a first badge challenge. Abra and Budew knew what they were doing, and Ash was ready to earn his first badge.

There was just one slight problem.

"How can they all be doing dance shows?"

The teenager on the desk rolled her eyes. "Come back tomorrow and you can ask them."

"But this is a Gym!" Ash exploded. "They're supposed to be battling, not dancing!"

"They can do what they want," the girl said, with a shrug. "Don't like it, go somewhere else."

Ash opened his mouth, but a mental nudge checked him. ' _What?_ '

' _Yelling at her isn't going to help,'_ Abra pointed out. ' _Now are we going to wait for them to finish, go and train, or go somewhere else?'_ He paused. ' _And go and sit down before she decides you're even weirder than she thought.'_

Ash blinked and realised that the receptionist was eyeing him with open wariness. He had probably looked like an idiot just standing there. Blushing, he slumped over to the seats against the wall and released his Pokémon. Abra settled on the chair next to him while Budew hopped onto his lap, and Ash forced a smile.

"You heard all that?" he asked her. She nodded, and he rubbed a hand over his face. "So what do we do now?"

There wasn't much point in going anywhere else now that they were here, but Ash chafed at the thought of having to spend however many hours just waiting around. He wanted to get his first badge! The automatic doors hissed open behind him as someone hurried in, probably to see the stupid show, but Ash was more preoccupied in digging his PokéDex out of his pocket. If he had to sit around, he might as well go over his strategy again.

"Hey, you!"

Ash glanced round, and suddenly found himself face to face with a very angry girl. Not being an idiot, he promptly stepped back. "What?"

The girl folded her arms. "You're here for a Gym Battle?"

"Yeah, I am," said Ash warily. "But all the leaders are doing some show, so..."

He trailed off as the girl threw her hands in the air with an explosive snort. "They told me one of them was going to be available for challenges! Of all the stupid, irresponsible..."

Ash glanced at Abra, and was relieved when his starter looked as lost as he felt. Clearly realising that they knew nothing, the girl turned her glare on the receptionist.

"Why didn't you call and tell me there was a challenger?"

"I forgot," the teenager protested. "What? You've only been back, like, a day."

The girl pinched the bridge of her nose, grumbling something under her breath that Ash didn't catch, before spinning back to face him. "You, what's your name?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town," said Ash quickly. He waved a hand at Abra and Budew. "These are my partners."

"Great. So, Ash, do you still want a Gym battle?"

"Of course I do!" Ash exclaimed. "But there's no one for me to have a battle with!"

' _Ash, I think-'_ Abra began, but the girl's snort cut him off.

"Weren't you listening? My name is Misty, and I'm the fourth Cerulean Gym Leader!"

Ash gaped at her. "You?"

Her rather cocky smirk vanished, and she glared at him. "Yes, me. What's so strange about that?"

"But you can't be a Gym Leader," Ash argued. "You're really young." She couldn't be more than a year older than he was, and he was only just starting his journey.

Misty's eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms. "I might be young, but I'm just as qualified to run this Gym as my sisters. And that should tell you something about how good I am." She shrugged, and started to turn away. "But if you don't want to have a battle after all..."

"No, wait, I do!" Ash yelped. "I'm sorry. I really want to get first badge."

For a long moment, Misty didn't move. Ash's heart sank. When Misty did turn back, though, she was grinning. "Well, you can have your battle," she said. "But there's no way you're going to win."

Ash blinked, then felt the flicker of Abra's amusement and grinned back. "Yeah? We'll see about that!"

Budew bounced into his arms with a delighted squeal, and Ash couldn't resist throwing her up into the air. Abra caught her in a psionic grasp with a tolerant sigh and set her back down, and Ash laughed. There was no way they were gonna lose!

Misty led them through the Gym to one of the smaller pools at the rear of the building, muttering all the while about stupid sisters and their stupid shows.

"If we have to go in here, its probably just as well it's your first badge," she said, as she pushed open the door. "Some people trying for their last badges have really strong Pokémon that could cause too much damage to a small pool like this."

"I have powerful Pokémon," said Ash indignantly.

Misty raised an eyebrow at him. "Powerful enough to bring down the roof?"

' _Don't even think about it,'_ said Abra shortly.

Ash opened his mouth, then saw the way Abra's tail was twitching and caught himself. He reached up to rub his partner's head. ' _Don't worry,'_ he thought. ' _You're gonna do great.'_

' _Like the last time?'_

' _That was a week ago,'_ Ash pointed out. ' _We've done loads of training since.'_ He smiled. ' _We can do this. I know it.'_

Abra didn't reply, but some of the niggling anxiety at the back of Ash's mind faded and that was answer enough.

The moment was broken by a whistle from across the pool.

"Hey! Are we having a battle or not?"

Ash winced, and ran to the platform opposite Misty's. The Gym Leader was bouncing a Pokéball in her hand, and looked like she was completely in control. "This battle will consist of two Pokémon each. You can switch whenever you want, but I can't. Any questions?"

"No," Ash called. "Let's do this!"

Misty grinned. She threw the 'ball, and Ash caught a split-second glimpse of a sleek Goldeen before it vanished under the water. Ash grabbed Budew's 'ball from his belt, then hesitated as he took a proper look at the battlefield. Abra cocked his head to one side.

' _Those are very small platforms.'_

Ash scratched his head. "Yeah," he muttered. Another thought struck him, and he frowned. "Hey, can Budew swim? Can you swim?"

Abra gave him an incredulous look. ' _It's a bit late to be worrying about that now, isn't it?'_

"Ash, get on with it!"

Ash shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to improvise."

' _Oh, joy.'_

Ash ignored him. He took careful aim, and Budew materialised on the platform nearest them. She squeaked happily at him, unfazed by the fact that they were fighting for their first badge, until Ash had to smile. "You can do this!"

Misty shook her head. "If you're finally ready, then let's go!"

Adrenaline flooded Ash's body. "All right! Budew, use Absorb!"

Green energy gathered around Budew's leaves, but she suddenly paused and shot him a questioning look.

' _What is she supposed to use Absorb on?'_ Abra supplied dryly.

Goldeen was nowhere to be seen. Ash opened his mouth, then closed it again. This might be more tricky than he had expected. Opposite him, Misty rolled her eyes.

"Did you think about what a Gym specialising in Water-types would involve at all?"

"Yes!" Ash shot back, stung. "And we'll prove it."

Misty didn't look convinced. Nor did she look worried. "Sure. Okay, Goldeen, Horn Attack!"

A plume of water erupted to Ash's left, and Goldeen shot towards Budew, horn blazing white.

"Budew, dodge and powders!" Ash yelped.

He had been expecting the attack, but he was still only just in time. Budew sprang sideways, dodging the horn by a breath, and launched a glistening cloud of powders into the air right in front of Goldeen. The Water-type hit the water with an ungainly splash, and Misty pursed her lips.

"Not bad," she said. "But not good enough!"

Goldeen broke the surface just long enough to demonstrate that all the powder had been washed from her scales, and Ash scowled. He had hoped they'd would take effect fast enough for that not to be an issue.

"We're not out of tricks yet. Poison Sting, Budew, as much as you can!"

Budew obeyed immediately, jumping into the air and launching a storm of stings into the water.

"More!" Ash urged. Goldeen was fast, but if they could get it at least once it would make things a lot easier. Misty was starting to look worried, which could only mean he was on the right track.

Abra suddenly twitched. ' _You got her.'_

Ash blinked. "I did? Wait, is you telling me that cheating?"

' _I don't see how,'_ Abra huffed, but a second later Goldeen resurfaced, and the sight of the stings embedded in her side made the question redundant. Ash didn't waste the opportunity.

"Now use Absorb!"

Budew gathered the energy faster now that she had something to target, but even poisoned as she was, Goldeen was still faster and she vanished back under the water. Budew's attack fizzled out against the surface. Ash groaned. "Come on!"

Misty grinned at him. "Type advantage isn't everything, Ash," she called. "You sure you prepared enough?"

Ash gritted his teeth. "Poison Sting again, Budew," he said. "We need to drive her out of the water."

Budew nodded, and jumped into the air to spray the water's surface with stings, but there was no sign of the Goldeen. Misty shook her head.

"That won't work a second time," she said. "Haven't you got anything else?"

Ash scowled. How was he supposed to attack when Goldeen wouldn't come out? Sure, she was poisoned, but that would still give her too much time to fight back. If only there was a way of getting her out of the water...

The thought struck trainer and Pokémon at the same instant, and Ash looked back at Misty. "Wait, I can switch, right?"

Misty's eyes flickered between him and Abra, and she sighed. "I did say so."

"Awesome," said Ash with a grin. "Time to take a rest, Budew!" His Grass-type disappeared back into her Pokéball, and Ash glanced at Abra. "You ready, buddy?"

Abra's tail was flicking from side to side again, but he nodded and floated forwards. He remained motionless for a moment as he concentrated, then abruptly waved a claw. The furthest platform suddenly flipped upside down, sending a stunned and startled fish flying into the air.

"That was awesome, Abra!" Ash yelled. "Now don't let it back in the water!"

Goldeen came to a halt in midair, and Abra spared Ash a look. ' _That was the plan, yes.'_

Ash laughed. Now all they had to do was Before he could say as much though, Goldeen gave one final shudder and fell still.

Silence fell. Abra looked at Goldeen, then at Ash, and shrugged. ' _Well, I'm not complaining.'_

Ash rolled his eyes, but he was in too good a mood to mind his partner's laziness. He was halfway to his first badge!

Misty pulled a face as she returned her Pokémon. "Nice work on the poisoning," she said begrudgingly. "I guess having to keep out of the way of your attacks made it spread faster. And you know your types too." Her eyes gleamed. "But you're not the only one with Psychic-types."

She grabbed a Pokéball, then paused. "Wait, first badge. Oops." She switched the Pokéball for another, and tossed it. "Well, let's see how you deal with this. Come on out, Staryu!"

Ash squinted at the brown, star-shaped Pokémon that materialised. ' _Okay. You know anything about Staryu?'_

' _Why would I?'_

' _You act like you know everything,'_ Ash grumbled, as he dug his PokéDex out of his pocket. He scanned the entry and frowned. ' _Huh? It's not a Psychic-type? Never mind, it's not a Dark or Ghost-type either, you'll be fine.'_

' _Thanks for the vote of confidence.'_

Unlike Goldeen, Staryu remained on the platform opposite the one Abra was hovering five feet above. Ash shivered. The gleaming red jewel was strangely unsettling.

"All right, Ash," Misty called. "If you can beat Staryu, you'll have won your first badge."

"All right!" Ash cheered. "There's no way we're gonna lose, right, Abra?"

"We'll see about that," said Misty. "Staryu is one of my strongest Pokémon. Right, Staryu, let's start things off with Bubblebeam!"

Abra promptly blinked out of existence. He reappeared behind Staryu, and unleashed a burst of energy that sent the Water-type staggering.

"Behind you!" Misty warned belatedly, but Abra had already Teleported away. Ash glanced round for him, until a mental sigh filled his mind.

' _Above you. Way above. No, don't look!'_

Ash blushed, and forced himself to keep his eyes on Staryu. ' _You got a plan?'_

' _Keep doing this? I keep trying to pick it up so I can throw it, but it's fighting me. It must have some Psychic power of its own.'_

' _That's not good,'_ said Ash, frowning. ' _How long can you keep this up?'_ They had tried to work on Abra's stamina issues, but a week wasn't long enough to have made much of a difference. Then he groaned as Staryu avoided the next Psychic blast by diving into the water. "Not again!"

Abra flickered back to hover in front of him. ' _Do you want to switch back to Budew?'_

Ash chewed on his lip. It wasn't an option he liked, but he didn't really have many others. He opened his mouth, then paused as the floor shuddered. Water splashed out of the pool, soaking his retainers, and he glanced at Misty. "Woah. Your Staryu is strong."

Another tremor sent both of them stumbling, and Misty shook her head. "That's not us." Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, the wall exploded.

There was no time to think. Ash grabbed Abra and threw himself to the floor. Concrete and plaster rained down around them; a lump the size of his fist cracked Ash on the leg, and he twisted to keep his partner out of the way of the falling debris. His mind was spinning with shock and fear, and it was all he could do to hold on to Abra and pray to whatever might be listening that they would be okay.

It seemed like an age but could only have been a few seconds before the chaos subsided. Ash tentatively raised his head.

"What-" he broke off as the dust made him cough, but could still feel Abra's concern blazing painfully bright in his mind.

' _Ash?'_

' _I'm fine. You?'_

Then the dust settled enough that Ash saw what had caused the explosion, and his jaw dropped. Abra followed his gaze.

' _Is...is that a giant mechanical Meowth?'_

Ash barely noticed Budew popping out of her 'ball to see what was going on. Two people in their late teens, a girl with long dark red hair and a blue-haired boy, both dressed in white uniforms, were standing on the Meowth's shoulders, chanting some weird motto, and -

"Did that Meowth just talk?" he demanded. "That's so cool!" He glanced at Abra. "How come you can't do that?"

' _Ash, focus! They just broke down the wall!'_ He pointed a claw. ' _And what's Misty doing?'_

Ash looked, and saw the Gym Leader stalking over to the newcomers. "Dunno, but we'd better help!"

He scooped Budew up into his arms, and sprinted round the pool to join the group. He wasn't entirely surprised to find Misty shouting.

"- told you to stop following me!"

"What's going on?" Ash demanded, but his question went unanswered as the older girl laughed.

"Nice try, but we're not going to stop until we get that precious Starmie of yours."

"You tell her, Jessie," the boy said. "The Boss is the only person who deserves such a powerful Pokémon."

Misty let out a wordless snarl of frustration and turned to Ash. "Ash, meet the most useless Team Rocket cell in the world. They tried to rob a Pokémon Centre while I was there, and since they only have Poison-type Pokémon, my Starmie was able to stop them. And now they want it and won't leave us alone!"

Ash stared at her, then at Team Rocket. "That's crazy! You can't steal her Pokémon! You shouldn't steal any Pokémon!"

"This twerp's even worse than the first one," the Meowth growled. "Seeings as you're here, you can hand over the Abra an' the baby Grass thing too."

"Ooh, I know what the Grass-type is," the boy interrupted. "It's a Budew, I used to see lots of them in my grandparents' garden in Sinnoh-"

"We don't care, James," Jessie snapped. "It's rare, so we're taking it."

Ash would be the first to admit that he wasn't always great at keeping his temper. Everyone had told him about it, from his mom to Professor Oak. He wasn't great at staying mad though, so it didn't usually matter too much.

The anger he felt as he listened to Team Rocket planning to steal his Pokémon, his friends, was different. It bubbled up from deep inside, but instead of making him lose control he found himself focusing better than ever.

He would do whatever it took to protect his friends.

"Hey, Misty," he said. "I think I've had enough of these guys."

Misty caught his eye, and gave him a grim smile. "You and me both. Starmie, let's go!"

A large purple Pokémon with an even more sparkly jewel than Staryu's appeared next to Abra. Staryu hopped up to it's other side, and Ash took a deep breath. "Be careful, guys," he whispered.

Budew glanced back at him and nodded, her usual exuberance quelled for once. Abra said nothing, but warm reassurance filled Ash's mind and it steadied him. "You guys get out of here," he called. "Go bother someone else. You're not getting our Pokémon."

To his surprise, Jessie and James laughed.

"Look at them, all ready to fight," Jessie cooed.

"All ready for something," James agreed, with a snigger.

Ash frowned, but Misty gasped. "Everyone look out!"

She was too late. A panel of the Meowth slid down and a large net shot out. Before Ash could so much as blink, all four Pokémon had been dragged inside the machine. The panel slammed shut.

"No!" Ash screamed. Not his Pokémon. He couldn't lose his Pokémon. "Abra! Budew!"

"Give them back!" Misty demanded, but the Rockets just laughed.

"Finders keepers," Meowth jeered. "What a haul we've got for the boss today!"

Ash saw red. "Give me back my Pokémon!"

He lunged forwards, not knowing what he was going to do but knowing he had to do something, only to nearly trip over his own feet as a deafening crack echoed through the wrecked room. Ash spun round, and stared.

Abra looked nearly as exhausted as he had the day they escaped from the Spearow, but his mind was thrumming with satisfaction.

' _What kind of morons think a cage can stop a Teleporter?'_

Ash laughed, and it was bordering on hysterical but he didn't care. He caught up Budew and Abra in his arms and hugged them tight. "I thought I'd lost you."

' _Not yet,'_ said Abra quietly. ' _Not ever, if I have anything to say about it.'_

Ash could only hug him close.

"Starmie! Staryu!" Misty looked up from her own Pokémon and beamed at Abra. "Nice work!"

Abra waved weakly, and let his head fall against Ash's neck. Budew, though, jumped out of Ash's arms and glared at Team Rocket, who were still gaping at Abra.

"Not fair!" Jessie squeaked.

"Fair?" Ash repeated incredulously. "You're thieves!"

"So?"

"Don't bother, Ash," said Misty grimly. "Let's just teach these losers a lesson."

The Rockets exchanged a look and started to back up, but Ash was way ahead of them. "Budew, Stun Spore!"

"Oh dear," James moaned, as all three crashed to the floor and started twitching. "I know what's coming now."

"Starmie, use Psychic," Misty ordered. "Staryu, Hydro Pump!"

"Yep," Meowth whimpered. "Here we go."

Ash watched in awe as the combined attacks sent the trio and their crazy robot flying into the air. The robot exploded in midair, and by the time Ash could look back, Team Rocket were nowhere to be seen.

For a minute there was silence. Ash found his head spinning as he tried to work out what had happened. He ehad expected to see strange stuff on his journey, but that...

Budew broke the moment with a satisfied chirp, and Ash came back to his senses. He ran forwards, and caught Budew up again. "That was awesome!"

"Yep," said Misty proudly. She checked her Pokémon over quickly, before glancing at Ash. "I'm really sorry about that. Are you all all right?"

"We're fine," Ash assured her. Budew chirped agreement from his arms, and Ash hugged them both tighter. He had no intention of letting them go any time soon. Abra was already fast asleep, and for once Ash didn't blame him. He owed him big time. Misty's eyes softened.

"I am sorry," she repeated. "And thank you for your help. I've told Officer Jenny about them, but they're surprisingly good at not getting caught."

Ash frowned. "Are you gonna be okay? It sounds like they really want your Starmie."

He shuddered at the thought. He couldn't imagine what he would do if Team Rocket wanted one of his Pokémon so badly. Misty grimaced. "I can handle them, especially when my sisters are around." She gave him a half-hearted smile. "It's good training if nothing else."

Ash shook his head. "It's not right," he insisted. "Why isn't anyone doing anything about them? Or about Team Rocket in general?"

He had never really paid much attention before, but he had heard his mom and Professor Oak talking about how they were always causing trouble. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember a time when there wasn't something going on. Misty sighed.

"People are trying. The Chanpion and Elite Four have been working with Interpol for years, and we Gym Leaders help out too. It's just really hard to get to the people in charge." She shook her head sharply, and straightened up. "But that isn't something you need to worry about."

"But-"

"Ash, it's not your problem to deal with," she said firmly. "At least wait until you've got a few more badges before trying to take on criminal organisations."

It was clear she wasn't going to change her mind. Budew nuzzled into his arm, and Ash had to admit that she had a point. They had barely managed one battle, and that was against a weak team and with a Gym Leader for back up. "I guess," he muttered.

Misty nudged him. "Cheer up. This is a start at least."

Something in her voice made him look up, and his jaw dropped. "A badge?"

"The Cascade Badge," Misty clarified, with a smile. "And it's yours."

She held out the badge, but Ash hesitated. "But we didn't finish our battle."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "You helped me fight off a gang of criminals. That's more important." She shrugged. "Besides, you demonstrated an understanding of the type chart, and some rudimentary tactics. That's enough for a first badge."

"Rudimentary?" Ash protested, but he couldn't help smiling as she placed the badge in his hand. His first badge!

"Rudimentary," Misty confirmed. "You come back when you have eight badges, and I'll show you how good I really am."

Ash pinned the badge to the inside of his jacket, and grinned. "Yeah, well I'll be a lot stronger too!"

No one was ever going to take his Pokémon from him again. Misty smiled. "I know. I think I'll have to keep my eye on you, Ash Ketchum."

She held out her hand, and Ash shifted Abra and Budew around until he could take it. She winked at him. "Stop by if you're ever in Cerulean."

"You bet," Ash agreed. Budew hummed agreement, and he finally let himself relax.

He had won his first badge. He had earned a Gym Leader's respect. His Pokémon were safe.

Ash still had a lot of work to do, but for now that was enough.

* * *

 **Any feedback would be very much appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

_'Are you sure this is the right way?'_

"Of course I am," Ash snapped. "Misty said to keep the river on the left until we get to the woods, and then turn right and follow the path to the cape."

Abra sighed. ' _Ash. The river is currently on our right. And I can see three different paths, but no trees.'_

Ash huffed and folded his arms. "Okay, you find the way if you're so clever."

He was beginning to wonder if this trip had been worth it. The original plan had been to head to Celdaon for their next badge, but after hearing about the Team Rocket mess Professor Oak had suggested that his Pokémon could use a break. A conversation with with Misty had provided the perfect idea.

It had also involved another Team Rocket attack. Ash was beginning to see why Misty wasn't particularly worried about them. On the plus side, Abra had been getting a lot of practice with his Psychic powers. Starmie was a surprisingly good teacher.

Once the dust had settled, Ash had had to agree with the Professor. His Pokémon deserved a break, and visiting Misty's friend sounded as good an option as any.

Unfortunately, Ash had never been known for his sense of direction.

"Come on, Abra," he groaned. "Help me out here."

Abra eyed him for a minute, then sighed and floated up into the air. Ash shaded his eyes against the sun. "See anything?"

Abra returned to his side with a pop. ' _Yes.'_

"Great! Which way?"

' _No,'_ said Abra flatly. ' _We are not doing this again.'_

"What-" Ash began, but then there was the now-familiar lurching and spinning that came with a Teleport. The craziness faded a second later, and Ash sat down hard. "Little warning next time, buddy," he managed.

' _Sorry_ ,' said Abra unapologetically. ' _But the practice is useful, and I just cut about three hours off the journey.'_

"It would not have taken three hours," Ash grumbled. Okay, maybe it taken them a bit longer than necessary to get here, but they definitely hadn't left the Pokémon Centre more than an hour ago. Two at most. Definitely not more than two and a half.

Stomach recovered, Ash looked around. Abra had brought them straight to Cerulean Cape, and even Ash had to admit that the view was spectacular. A trio of Pidgey swooped around his head and down to the water, as the sight of the beach sparked Ash's memory.

"Hey, Water-types! Let's go, Abra!"

' _But weren't we supposed to be visiting-'_

"We can do that later," Ash yelled back over his shoulder. He skidded to a halt on the sand, and squinted round.

It had been Misty's idea. The young Gym Leader was so enthusiastic about her chosen type that it was impossible not to get caught up in it. Her reminder that a Water Pokémon would be able to protect Budew from Fire-types had just been the icing on the cake.

Abra Teleported next to him and sighed. ' _What about those two?'_

Ash followed his gaze. A broad grin spread across his face. "Perfect."

A Slowpoke and a Psyduck were sitting side by side, placidly watching the waves. Ash reached for Budew's Pokéball, then paused. "Can't hurt to ask first, right?"

Abra shrugged, and Ash walked over and crouched down between them. "Hey you two," he greeted them. "My name's Ash Ketchum, and I'm a Pokémon trainer. Do either of you want to come with me?"

Neither Pokémon moved. Ash glanced at Abra and got another shrug in reply, and raised his voice. "I said, do either of you want to come with me? I can make you really strong, promise!"

Still there was no response. Instead, Budew burst from her Pokéball to see what was going on. She hopped over to headbutt the Slowpoke, and turned a disbelieving look at Ash when it didn't so much a blink. Ash scratched his head, but before he could say anything, Abra let out a very put-upon sigh.

' _They both heard you,'_ he said, before Ash could ask. ' _Slowpoke is still processing the question.'_

Ash thought about how much effort it would take to give order in a battle, and winced. "Okay. What about Psyduck?"

To his surprise, the Psyduck looked up at him. It held his gaze for a moment, then glanced at Budew and Abra. Then it shrugged, and before Ash could say anything it reached out and tapped one of the empty Pokéballs on Ash's belt and vanished in a flash of red light.

' _She's fine with it,'_ said Abra dryly.

He settled down on the warm sand with a yawn, and Ash grabbed at the newly occupied 'ball just as it gave the click of a successful capture.

Budew beamed. Still completely bewildered, Ash tapped the button, and Psyduck appeared before him. She looked him up and down in silence. Ash stared at her for a moment, then recovered himself and grinned at her.

"Okay, that's great! Nice to meet you."

Psyduck held his gaze, then nodded. She waved goodbye to Slowpoke, who continued to stare at Ash, and waddled over to join them. Budew bounced up to her, squeaking happily all the while. Psyduck blinked at her, then at Abra, who in turn glanced at Ash.

' _She'll be fine,'_ Abra promised.

Ash smiled at him. "Thanks." He patted Budew on the head and shook Psyduck's hand, catching Budew automatically with the other as she jumped at him. Ash grinned up at Abra. This wasn't the team had had planned, but right now he couldn't say he minded in the slightest.

Naturally, it was Abra who interrupted the moment.

' _So, are we visiting this fanatic person, or not?_ '

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yes, Abra." He looked at Budew and Psyduck. "Do you two wanna stay out? This guy's supposed to have loads of really rare Pokémon."

Budew nodded, and hopped out of his arms. She nudged Psyduck until the Water-type also agreed, albeit after giving her an odd look. Ash looked at them both, wondering if subjecting Psyduck to Budew's boundless energy right away was a good idea, but dismissed that thought after only a second. The sooner they got used to each other, the better. Instead, he turned to eye the long path back up to the cottage.

' _No_ ,' said Abra, just as Ash opened his mouth. ' _I've already Teleported you there once, it's not my fault you wandered off again.'_

"You're the one who said you wanted to practice!"

' _Yes, and I've done my practice for the day.'_

Ash scowled at him. "You're such a pain."

' _You're the one with the attention span of a Ninjask. Psyduck and Budew have already gone, by the way.'_

Ash yelped, and raced off after his Pokémon. It didn't take long, considering Budew could only travel in tiny hops and Psyduck's waddle wasn't much faster. Psyduck glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow, and he grinned at her.

"So, what moves do you know?"

He could look it up on the PokéDex, but it seemed nicer to ask. Psyduck tilted her head to one side, then sprayed a jet of water from her bill. A second later she followed it up with another, more powerful one that Ash recognised from the second confrontation with Team Rocket.

"Water Gun and Water Pulse? Awesome!" He tried to remember what else he knew about Psyduck and Golduck. "What about Psychic moves, like Confusion?"

Psyduck wobbled a flipper back and forth. Ash smiled. "That's okay. You and Abra can work on that together."

They looked at each other, and both nodded. "Great," said Ash. "Oh yeah, would you be happy to work with Budew too? It'll be good practice for when you have to fight Grass-types."

Psyduck didn't look quite as happy about that, but Budew bounced up to her and waved her leaves in cheery acknowledgement. Psyduck sighed, but didn't seem actively against the idea and so Ash decided not to worry about it.

By the time Ash had finished working out some basic training ideas, they were nearly at the cottage. Ash paused at the door and looked at his friends.

"Okay, everyone ready to meet an awesome Pokémon researcher?"

' _Can we just get this over with so I can go back to sleep?'_

Psyduck sniggered. Ash just rolled his eyes. He thumped on the door, and waited.

And waited.

' _Can we go now?'_

Ash shot him an incredulous look, and it was Psyduck's turn to roll her eyes. She scowled at the door, but before she could do anything Ash would probably have to apologise for, there was the sound of hurried footsteps and the door was flung open.

"Sorry, sorry," a young man wheezed. "It was feeding time - Oh, you have an Abra! Excellent choice, the first Pokémon I caught was an Abra."

Abra raised an eyebrow at Ash. ' _I like him. He has good taste.'_

Ash pulled a face, but the man smile became even brighter. "Ah, I see you're already comfortable with telepathy," he said. "That's very good, you'll find that very useful as you progress on your journey. Who are you again?"

Ash blinked, then shook himself and held out his hand. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Misty said you had lots of rare Pokémon, and I was wondering-"

"Of course you can see them," the man said. He spun round, then checked himself and spun back. "Oh right, I'm Bill. Nice to meet you, Ash. Come with me."

He disappeared back into his house. Ash exchanged a bemused look with Abra, and started after him. The interior was surprisingly spacious, and filled with all things Pokémon. Bill had paused in the hallway to feed a berry to a Clefairy, but glanced up with a grin as Ash entered.

"So you started with an Abra, huh? How's that going? Ooh, is that a Budew?" he exclaimed, before Ash could even open his mouth. "That's amazing, I've never seen one in person! Where did you find her? I don't need to ask about that Psyduck of course, I'd recognise the locals anywhere."

' _Humans do still need to breathe, don't they?'_ Abra asked.

Ash could only shake his head. Bill seemed to have had more thoughts in the last minutes than Ash had had all morning. Budew didn't seem to mind, and she was dragging Psyduck around behind her as she bounced up to say hello to Clefairy. Bill trailed after her, somehow managing to make notes on her behaviour while keeping up an unending flow of questions and observations.

"I think she's a little smaller than average, based on what I've read, but she looks in the prime of health so that shouldn't be a problem. You might want to try a few nutritional supplements in winter, or of you spend too much time underground, or at any time when she might not be getting enough sunlight, and I'm assuming the Psyduck is new? You'll have to make sure her skin stays moist in dry environments, or if she can't self-moisturise for any reason."

"Yeah," Ash mumbled. "I'll do that."

He cast a pleading look at Abra, but his partner had spotted an unoccupied cushion and was fast asleep so there was no help coming from that direction. Ash sighed and shuffled after Bill. There were Pokémon around that Ash had only ever seen on TV, but every time he tried to ask a question Bill exploded with another round of helpful remarks and suggestions. It was all useful, there was no doubt that Bill knew what he was talking about, but it wasn't exactly how Ash had planned to spend the day.

To Ash's relief, a distraction appeared. A sleek Espeon slipped into through the piles of books and Pokémon to wind itself around Bill's ankles. The self-professed Pokémaniac actually shut up, and crouched down to pat its head.

"Hey, boy," he said softly. "Everyone all right?"

Espeon purred, and flicked his tail at Ash. Bill bounced up with a grin. "You'll want to see this, Ash," he said. "Come with me."

A glance round the room assured Ash that all of his Pokémon were happily occupied. He followed Bill down the corridor to a smaller room filled with soft cushions and a remarkable amount of chew toys. Espeon went straight to an enormous padded basket containing half a ton of blankets, a snoozing Umbreon, and -

"Are those baby Eevee?" Ash breathed.

One of the Eevee blinked sleepily up at him, and showed tiny fangs in a yawn. Bill scooped it up with a smile. "Well, they're about eight weeks old now, so they're not really babies any more, but yes." He settled the Eevee in Ash's arms, and sat back on his heels. "Six kits," he said proudly. "All healthy and doing well."

"They're amazing," said Ash quietly. The Eevee in his arms was wide awake now and sniffing curiously at his neck. Ash stroked the thick ruff, and was rewarded by a happy bark.

"He likes you," said Bill. He cocked his head to one side, but before he could say anything else there was a loud pounding on the front door. Bill frowned and pushed himself up. "I am popular today," he said in bemusement. "I haven't had this many visitors in a long time."

Ash reluctantly set the Eevee back in the basket with his family. The little Normal-type whined and tried to scramble after him, until Ash couldn't help lingering for a final pat.

"Sorry, buddy," he said. "I'll come back and say goodbye before I go, all right?"

Eevee huffed. Ash ruffled his ears and went to see what Bill was up to. His Pokémon were all where he had left them, but as Ash headed up the corridor a familiar, but very unwelcome voice met his ears.

"-heard from my grandfather that you collected rare Pokémon. He's Professor Oak, the world renowned Pokémon researcher, and I'm-"

"Gary!" Ash yelled. "What are you doing here?"

His rival stood on the doorstep, the smirk that always made Ash want to punch him plastered to his face. At least he had left his cheerleaders with that stupid car at the base of the path. Gary's grin widened.

"Well, fancy seeing you here, Ashy-boy."

Bill looked between them in bemusement. "You two know each other?"

"We grew up together in Pallet Town," said Ash, still glaring at his old friend. "We started our journeys at the same time."

"Or at least we would have if someone hadn't been late," Gary jeered. "You're always lagging behind me, Ash." Then he paused, a frown crossing his face. "Wait, how did you get here before me? There's no way you made it through Mount Moon faster than I did."

Ash grinned and folded his arms. "Well you wasted your time, 'cause I didn't have to go through Mount Moon. And I've got three Pokémon, and I've won my first badge, so how's that for lagging behind?"

Gary snorted. "About what I expected. You see, Ash, I've caught twelve Pokémon, and I've already got two badges."

Ash gasped at him. How had Gary caught four times as many Pokémon as him, and got more badges? It had been tough enough for Ash to get this far on his own journey. The old anger was stirring again, but before the argument could escalate Bill clapped his hands together.

"Marvellous," he exclaimed. "Simply marvellous! You two might be just what I need."

Ash and Gary exchanged a startled look. Bill beamed at the pair of them and started to usher them down the corridor. "I'm sorry to interrupt your catch-up, but I have a proposal that the two of you might find interesting."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm listening. Don't know how a loser like Ash would be able to help you though."

Ash was barely listening. "Hey, isn't this-"

Then Bill threw open the door, and Ash's question was lost as Eevee launched himself at Ash with an excited yip. Ash caught him easily and laughed. "I was only gone for a minute."

Eevee just continued snuggling into his neck. Ash rubbed his ears, and looked up to see Gary staring at the basket of Pokémon.

"Eevee," he breathed. "Grandfather was right. You do have really rare Pokémon."

"I do," Bill agreed. "And now I'd like to give one to you."

"What?"

Ash and Gary had spoken in unison, and promptly glared at each other. Bill smiled. "I'm not much of a trainer, you see, but I am interested in how trainers raise their Pokémon." He waved a hand at Ash and Gary. "The two of you were raised together and started your journeys together, but you've taken very different approaches to raising and training Pokémon so far." One of the Eevee stumbled out of the basket, and he paused to pick her up. "These Eevee are ready to leave home now, and I was planning to find them good homes soon. Of course, if you don't want to raise one then I'll completely understand, but -"

"Are you kidding?" Ash yelled. "I'd love to raise one!" He hesitated, glancing at the Eevee in his arms. "If that's okay with you, I mean?"

Eevee let out a delighted bark and started licking Ash's face, his dark eyes shining. Ash laughed and hugged him close. "You and Budew are gonna get on so well."

Bill chuckled. "I think you might be right." He glanced at the Eevee he was holding, and then at Gary. "What about you? Would you like to look after this little lady for me?"

Gary finally snapped his mouth shut and nodded. "Well, I guess I can't leave Ash to screw this up."

But his hands were very gentle as he took the Eevee from Bill, and stroked her fur. She licked curiously at his hand, and the smile that lit his face held none of its usual arrogance. "I'll take good care of her."

Ash looked at the Eevee in his arms, his Eevee, and nodded. "Me too."

While the two Eevee said goodbye to their parents and siblings, Bill handed Ash and Gary a pen and notebook each.

"I know neither of you have looked after Eevee before, so I thought I'd better give you some tips. Just some vital information about diet and grooming, that kind of thing."

Ash eyed him warily. He had a distinct suspicion that they had different definitions of vital information.

He wasn't wrong. By the time Bill had finished telling them exactly which cotton blends Eevee liked to use as blankets and which ones were only acceptable under dire circumstances, the sun was starting to dip towards the horizon, Ash's stomach was rumbling, and he was thoroughly fed up. Eevee had curled up on his lap for a nap, and Budew and Psyduck had returned to their Pokéballs after even Budew's enthusiasm had started flagging. Abra, of course, hadn't moved.

Next to him, Gary groaned.

"Is there much more?" he asked. "People are going to be wondering where I am."

Ash smirked at the thought of all the cheerleaders having to hang around doing nothing all afternoon. Bill blinked, then glanced at the clock. "Ah, I do seem to have kept you longer than I planned. My apologies." He gave a self-conscious chuckle. "Eevee is my favourite Pokémon, you see."

Ash smiled. "That's okay. I bet all this is going to be really useful."

He placed the notebook carefully in his pocket, returned Eevee to his new Pokéball, and stood up. "Thank you so much, Bill."

"Yeah," said Gary. "We'll let you know how they get on. But don't be surprised when mine turns out to be stronger!"

"We'll see about that," Ash growled.

Bill laughed. "Well, you've got my number, so don't hesitate to call if you have any problems. And feel free to come by any time you're in town."

He led them back through the cottage. Ash detoured off to collect Abra, and when he got back he found Gary shaking hands with Bill on the doorstep.

"-you again for everything. I promise I'll take really good care of Eevee."

"I know you will," said Bill, with a smile. "Give my regards to your grandfather." He shook Ash's hand. "Take care, both of you."

"We will," Ash said. "Goodbye, and thanks again!"

Bill waved, and closed the door. Gary sighed. "He's a cool guy, but that was way too much."

"You can say that again," Ash groaned. Even the cheerleaders had given up and gone back to Cerulean. Gary scowled at the deserted beach, and Ash had a sudden flash of inspiration.

"You know how we could wake ourselves up?"

Gary frowned, then his eyes lit up. "All right! Time to finally prove who's the greater trainer!"

"Already know the answer," Ash snorted. "But yeah. We'd better make it quick though, it'll be dark soon. One Pokémon each?"

Gary nodded. "Sounds good to me." Then he paused. "But we can't battle the Eevee. It's past their bed time."

"I know," said Ash indignantly. "I was listening too."

Gary rolled his eyes, and spun a Pokéball on his finger. "We'll use our starters then, but I'll tell you now Ashy-boy, there's no way you're beating my Pokémon. Even with a type advantage, your Pikachu won't last a second against me."

Ash glared at him. "Well you're already wrong, because I don't even have a Pikachu!"

Gary's eyes widened, and he lowered the 'ball. "Wait, seriously? You actually went for the Abra?" He shook his head. "Wow, this is gonna be even easier than I thought."

"You shut up," Ash snapped. "Abra is the best starter in the world, and we're gonna prove it."

' _Do we have to?'_

' _Yes,'_ Ash told him, and sent him out before he could argue. Abra materialised with a yawn, but Ash's attention was soon focused on their opponent. "Hey, you never said your Squirtle had evolved!"

Gary smirked. "You never asked. You shouldn't be surprised though. Unlike some people, I train my Pokémon properly."

Ash glared at him, but even as he opened his mouth Abra's calm voice cut through the anger.

' _Calm down. You know he's just trying to wind you up so you'll rush in like an idiot.'_

' _I wasn't going to do that,'_ Ash shot back.

' _Yes, you were, but now you're not so I don't care. Just keep your attention on the Wartortle, not your friend.'_

' _He's not my friend,'_ Ash muttered, but his partner had a point. He couldn't afford to be reckless when they were facing an evolved Pokémon. He tried not to think of the last battle Abra had had with a trainer's starter Pokémon. They were stronger now.

Gary looked slightly disappointed by the lack of a temper tantrum, and it was enough for Ash to get the last of his irritation under control.

"Ready?"

"Course I am," Gary shot back. "We'll show you how strong you are. Water Gun, Wartortle!"

Abra rolled his eyes and Teleported out the way, and Ash grinned. "Yeah, being strong is a great help when you can't even hit the target."

"Shut up, Ash," Gary growled. "Come on, Wartortle, he can't keep that up forever. Try Bite!"

' _No, not doing that again,'_ Abra snapped. He Teleported to right over Wartortle's head, and fired a shaky Confusion before flickering back to the ground and following it up with a volley of rocks. The Water-type staggered back, and Ash had a sudden brainwave.

' _Forget the rocks, there's sand!'_

Gleeful understanding filled his mind, and Wartortle yelped as Abra flung what seemed like half the beach in its face, and followed it up with another sort of-Confusion.

"Hey!" Gary yelled. "Those aren't proper attacks!"

"Anything's an attack a long as it works," Ash said.

Gary glared at him. "Wartortle, wash the sand away."

Wartortle did so, but by the time it could see clearly Abra had once again disappeared from sight. Ash frowned.

' _We need to do more damage.'_

' _I'm open to ideas.'_

' _What about Psywave, like Starmie was showing you?'_

' _I don't know-'_

"Over there, Wartortle!"

This time the jet of water was just fast enough to clip Abra as he vanished, and he hit the sand with a crash as he reappeared.

"Finally," said Gary. "Now use Bite before he can recover."

"Abra, try it!" Ash shouted. This battle was not going to end like the one with Paul had. Abra could do it. Ash knew he could.

Abra's eyes opened, and he raised his claws. For a split-second Ash felt a crushing pressure between his ears, then purple light exploded from Abra's hands and Wartortle went flying.

"All right, it worked!"

Abra didn't waste the opportunity. He flickered over to Wartortle, eye glowing with the power of his newly mastered attacks, and another burst of Psychic energy hammered Wartortle into the sand. The Water-type growled and tried to rise, but Abra raised a claw again.

' _No. You're not going anywhere.'_

Wartortle snapped something that Ash didn't really need translated, but as much as it struggled against Abra's power, it was no use. Ash could feel the strain, and knew his partner couldn't keep this up for long, but he didn't have to. Wartortle finally slumped down, and closed its eyes, and Ash turned to Gary.

"Looks to me like Wartortle can't battle any more."

For a long moment, Gary could only stare at the two Pokémon. He finally returned Wartortle to its Pokéball and looked at it for a second before putting it away and turning to Ash.

"Not bad, Ash."

Ash blinked. That was the closest thing to a compliment he'd heard from Gary in years. He was vaguely aware of Abra flickering back to his shoulder, but before he could say anything Gary visibly pulled himself together.

"I guess you won't be a total disappointment as a rival after all."

"Total- We just beat you!" Ash spluttered.

Gary snorted and folded his arms. "Yeah, in one battle with one Pokémon. If we were using our full teams, it would be very different."

"But-"

"And I've got more Pokémon and more badges than you," Gary continued, without batting an eyelid. "So it's obvious that I'm the better trainer." He looked Ash up and down and shook his head. "Face it, Ash, I'm still way ahead of you."

"You..." Ash trailed off, words failing him. Gary's eyes gleamed.

"Well, it's true. I bet you couldn't even make it through Mount Moon, that's why you had to dodge it."

"I could too," Ash shot back. "You managed it, so it can't be that hard."

"Yeah, but we just established that I'm the better trainer," said Gary.

"I beat you!"

"This time, and only because I was going easy on you." He shook his head and turned away. "It'll be different next time. Smell ya later, Ash."

Ash's hands clenched into fists and he started after him, but before he'd taken more than a step he found himself frozen in place. "Let me go, Abra!"

' _What did I just say about letting him antagonise you?_ ' Abra demanded. ' _He lost fair and square and he knows it, and he's trying to make himself feel better by putting you down. Stop being an idiot and falling for it.'_

Ash glared at him, but then something in Abra's voice caught up with him and he frowned. "Are you okay?"

' _Oh, I'm just fine,'_ Abra snapped. ' _It's not like I just had to use a move I've barely practised in the middle of a battle, or had to immobilise a much stronger opponent, or-'_

But that was as far as he got before Ash grabbed him into a hug. "Why didn't you say something?" he demanded. "Are you okay?"

Now that he was paying attention, he could say that Abra's colour looked nearly as bad as it had after their escape from the Spearow. Abra huffed. ' _I will be, once you stop being a fool and let me get some sleep.'_

Ash rubbed the spot on his neck he knew his partner liked, and was glad to see Abra relax into his arms. "Sorry," he said quietly. "And thank you for that. You were amazing, and you've gotten loads stronger."

Abra huffed again, but the irritation in Ash's mind had been replaced by sleepy satisfaction and Ash could only smile. Gary's words still bothered him, but they didn't change the fact that he had lost and Ash and Abra had won. Maybe Gary did have more Pokémon and more badges than them, but none of that mattered tonight.

Ash stood on the beach, his partner taking a well-deserved rest in his arms, and two new friends in Pokéballs on his belt, and forced himself to forget Gary. He was doing just fine.

The waves gleamed silver in the moonlight, and Ash shook himself. It was late, and he had a lot to do in the morning. He turned from the water, then paused.

"Which way is Cerulean again?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be very mich appreciated.**

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	6. Chapter 6

**Apologies for the delay in updating, Real Life happened. Thank you for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts, I appreciate them all.**

 **One thing, before anyone else tells me that I've dumbed Ash down, this is just a gentle reminder that Smart!Ash is not canon. Ash didn't start becoming competent until late Johto/Hoenn, and it's not going to happen straight away in this fic either. I promise he'll get there eventually.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

' _Explain to me again why we're doing this.'_

Ash tripped over a rock, swore, and scowled at Abra. "Because Gary thinks we can't, and there's no way I'm letting him get away with that."

Abra's ensuing silence spoke volumes. Ash kicked another rock out the way. "Besides, we were going to challenge the Pewter Gym at some point any way," he muttered. "And there are loads of Rock types for Budew and Psyduck to train with here."

Abra just snorted. ' _You have got to stop letting your rival get to you.'_

Ash didn't dignify that with a reply. He knew how to handle Gary. He'd won their first battle, hadn't he? Abra huffed and returned himself to his Pokéball, leaving a lingering ember of annoyance in Ash's mind. Ash gritted his teeth, and looked down at Psyduck.

"You don't think this is a waste of time, right?"

Psyduck just shrugged, and blasted another lurking Geodude out of the way with a well-aimed Water Gun. The Rock-type skittered away down a passage, and Psyduck turned an enquiring look up at Ash.

"I guess not," said Ash. "You're getting really good at that."

Psyduck nodded, then waved a hand and Ash glanced back at the rocks hovering behind her. "That looks like it's going really well too."

Now that Abra actually knew how to attack things, they had lost no time in working out some tricks for Psyduck to practice. She had been making great progress, and Ash felt his decision to travel through Mount Moon for more training had absolutely been justified.

Proving Gary wrong was just a bonus. Really.

Still, Ash was getting a bit bored of caves. Everything looked the same, and he hadn't seen anything more exciting than a Paras the whole time he'd been down here. He'd toyed with the idea of catching a Zubat or Geodude, but the first were too fast to corner, and the second just didn't appeal to him for some reason.

It would be different if they could explore properly. Ash eyed the dark passages, but before he could even start to consider the idea he felt a sharp mental poke.

' _What part of 'stick to the marked paths' is so difficult to understand?'_

"But there's nothing here!" Ash whined. "Come on, Abra, you know cool Pokémon aren't going to come up here."

Sure, the clearly marked, well-lit passages made getting through the cave easier, but all the really interesting Pokémon lived much further in, away from all the travellers. Ash took a step closer to the tunnel.

"It's not like we'd get lost. You could Teleport us back to the entrance, no problem."

' _And then we'd have to do this all over again. Yes, that sounds like a wonderful plan.'_

"C'mon, Abra..."

' _No.'_

Psyduck shook her head, and continued along their original path. Ash scowled, and started after her. "Fine," he grumbled. "I bet Gary doesn't have to deal with this."

' _We defeated Gary.'_

Ash opened his mouth, then closed it again. Abra sent an exasperated huff. ' _I'm going back to sleep. Try to stay out of trouble for the next few hours.'_

"It's not like I go looking for trouble," Ash protested.

' _I know. That's what worries me.'_

Ash rolled his eyes. "Just go to sleep."

His starter worried way too much. The resentment lingered, but the lack of reply assured Ash that Abra had fallen asleep. His hand rested on Budew's Pokéball, then he remembered how little she liked the caves so far and picked Eevee's Pokéball instead.

"Hey, you wanna come out?"

The words had barely left his lips before Eevee burst from the 'ball. He landed on the rocky ground with a happy bark, and immediately jumped into Ash's arms to lick at his neck.

"That tickles!" Ash laughed. He gave his newest Pokémon a scratch, then lowered him back to the ground. "You can stay out a bit longer today, Bill said I had to build up your stamina. You can practice some moves with Psyduck too!"

Eevee nodded, and bounded after Psyduck. Ash hurried after them, his bad mood forgotten. It was just as hard to be grumpy around Eevee as it was Budew. He caught up to his Pokémon in time to see Psyduck add another rock to her train, and grinned at her. "You're gonna be better than Abra at this rate!"

Which wasn't really surprising, considering the amount of time his starter spent sleeping, but that was okay. Psyduck gave him a rather smug look, then hurled one of the rocks at a lurking Zubat before it could attack. The startled Poison-type flitted away with a squeak, and Psyduck reclaimed her weapon with clear satisfaction. Eevee batted at one of the rocks, only to frown when Psyduck promptly levitated it out of reach. Ash smiled at the two of them.

"Eevee, how about you try practicing Swift? Psyduck, leave the next Zubat for Eevee to tackle, okay?"

Both his Pokémon nodded, Psyduck with some reluctance, and Ash continued along the passage. Eevee followed at his heels, his eyes narrowed as he tried to keep his Swift from disintegrating before he could launch it. He was making good progress, and Ash was sure that a bit more practice was all that he needed. Bill had supplied both him and Gary with lists of moves that Eevee could learn, and Ash had spent an afternoon with all his Pokémon working out what they each needed to focus on.

A grin tugged at Ash's lips. There was no way he was losing to Gary any time soon.

Another Zubat swooped over his head, and Ash stopped short.

"You ready, Eevee? Then use Swift!"

Eevee barked, and launched the stars with a flick of his tail. The first few fizzled out before making contact, but the rest homed in exactly as they were meant to and the Zubat abandoned its attack with an irritated screech. It disappeared down another passage, and Ash grinned.

"Nice one, Eevee! You're really getting the hang of it."

Eevee rubbed his head against his leg in delight, and Ash gave him a quick pat before continuing down the trail after Psyduck. "A bit more practice, and then we'll move on to Bite. How does that sound?"

Silence met his words. Ash glanced back, and frowned. "Eevee?"

His friend was standing at the edge of the passage where the Zubat had vanished. His ears and nose were twitching, and even as Ash watched he took a slow step closer to the tunnel. Ash waved for Psyduck to wait, and took a few steps back to join him.

"What's wrong? That's not the right way."

Eevee barked, but it wasn't one of the happy barks Ash had gotten used to and he didn't move. Ash opened his mouth to try again, but before he could say anything Eevee took off down the passage.

"Eevee, stop!"

Ash raced after him. He had no idea what had gotten into his partner, but he had to make sure he was okay. "Eevee, wait up! What's wrong?"

Eevee just barked again and ran faster. Hearing Psyduck struggling to keep up, Ash returned her to her 'ball and increased his own pace until he caught up with Eevee. "Stop it now!"

Eevee skidded to a halt, ears drooping. Ash picked him up and gave him a light shake. "What's wrong with you? You can't just run off like that, it's dangerous down here!" Eevee whined, and Ash shook his head. "No, you can't do that. C'mon, let's get back to the path."

Abra would never let him hear the end of it otherwise. He ignored another protesting whine from Eevee, but just as he was turning to head back to the main passage a faint sound caught his ears.

"What-?"

Ash paused, straining his ears. For a second he thought he had imagined it, but then it came again. A faint, desperate cry for help.

"It sounds like someone's in trouble!" Eevee barked, and Ash looked down at him. "Is that what you heard? Is that why you came down here?"

Eevee nodded, and wriggled out of Ash's arms to the ground. His ears twitched in the direction of the dark tunnel, but he didn't move. Instead, he turned a questioning glance up at Ash.

Ash took a step down the tunnel, then paused. He wanted to help, but Abra's words were ringing in his mind. Mount Moon was dangerous, and he wouldn't do anyone any good if he got into trouble too. He chewed on his lip for a moment, then sent out Abra. His Starter yawned, and fixed him with a glare.

' _What was the one thing I told you not to do?'_

"I didn't have a choice," Ash protested. "Eevee heard someone in trouble, and we've got to help them!"

Abra hesitated, tail lashing from side to side. ' _I...think I can feel something,'_ he said reluctantly. ' _But it could be dangerous.'_

Ash shook his head. "I don't care. I've got you and Eevee and the others, and I'm not going to stand around here when there's something I can do to help."

Abra held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. ' _I can't say I expected anything else. All right, but be careful.'_

Ash smiled at him, feeling his partner's support echoing in his mind, and looked down at Eevee. "Okay, Eevee, lead the way!"

Eevee needed no encouragement. He took off down the tunnel, and Ash paused just long enough to make sure Abra was secure on his shoulders before racing after him. "Abra, can you sense what's going on?"

He felt Abra shake his head against his neck. ' _Not clearly. There are wild Pokémon involved, Poison-types, I think...'_

"Probably Zubat and Golbat then," Ash grunted. "You'll have to help Eevee, he's still working on long-range attacks."

' _Of course. Watch out.'_

Ash leapt over a startled Paras without stopping. "Thanks."

They had to be getting close now. It was hard to hear over his footfalls and the pounding blood in his ears, but Ash could definitely hear the cries from earlier growing closer. Eevee bolted down another tunnel without hesitating, then let loose a howl that echoed through the dark passages. Ash stumbled round the corridor, and stopped short.

A gangly figure in a white lab coat was crammed in between two rocky outcroppings, but it was impossible to make out details through the horde of Zubat surrounding them. What was very clear was the terrified screams, and Ash didn't waste time thinking.

"Eevee, use Swift! Abra, use - whatever you've got that has the widest range!"

' _Very specific, thank you,'_ said Abra dryly, but he raised his hands and let loose a pulse of Psychic energy that sent the Zubat scattering. A flurry of stars followed, and Ash grinned as they homed in on the startled Flying-types.

"Great job, both of you! Now do that again!"

Eevee barked acknowledgement and started to charge another attack, and Ash took a deep breath. "Okay, cover me."

' _Wait, what are you -'_

"Not now, gotta help that guy," Ash yelled. He covered his head and charged at the few Zubat still targeting the white coat guy. "You leave him alone!"

' _Ash!'_

The panic in his voice was enough to send a spike of guilt through Ash's stomach, but then he was in the middle of the Pokémon and there wasn't time for anything else. At least these Flying-types didn't have claws. They did have fangs though, and they were Poison-types...

Then another Psybeam, more tightly focused this time, sent the nearest Zubat smashing into the opposite wall. Abra followed up with two more precise blasts, and Ash took advantage of th reprieve to run to the rocks.

"Thanks, Abra," he gasped. "Hey, are you okay?"

He was surprised when the lab coat guy turned out to be a teenager only a few years older than him. His coat was torn and scuffed, and he stopped screaming long enough to glare at Ash. "Of course I'm not okay" he screeched. "I'm being attacked! Get me out of here!"

"It's okay, we're working on that," Ash promised. He ducked as a Zubat swooped down, then grinned as one of Eevee's Swift stars sent it spinning off course. "That was awesome, Eevee!"

"Wait, it's just you?" the teen yelped. ""You're just a kid!"

"Hey!" Ash protested. "I know what I'm doing."

He felt a flash of incredulous disbelief from Abra, but his plan was actually working. Most of the Zubat had scattered down the maze of tunnels, and those that remained were hanging back instead of attacking again. Ash waved for Eevee to join them, and Abra appeared at his shoulder with a soft crack.

"Okay, we've nearly got them on the run. Once more, both of you!"

The combined Psybeam and Swift was too much. The last few Zubat disappeared to seek out easier targets, and Ash laughed in pure exhilaration. "All right! That was awesome!"

He caught both his friends into a tight hug and spun them round. "You guys were brilliant, thank you."

' _Let go of me,'_ Abra grumbled. He wriggled out of Ash's arms and hovered out of reach, but Eevee let out a delighted bark and licked at Ash's neck. Ash grinned and scratched his thick ruff.

"Nice work," he repeated. "You've definitely got the hang of Swift now."

Eevee nodded, his eyes very bright, then his tiny face scrunched into a yawn. Ash frowned. "Yeah, you've had a busy day. Get some rest, okay?"

Eevee disappeared into his Pokéball without protest. Ash replaced it carefully on his belt, and Ash turned up at Abra. "Thank you. I know you wanted us to stay out of trouble-"

' _I did, but you were right,'_ Abra interrupted. ' _You couldn't ignore someone in trouble.'_ He sighed, tail waving lazily. ' _I suppose I should get used to it.'_

Ash smiled, but the moment was interrupted by a loud groan. Ash winced, and turned to the guy they'd rescued. "Hey, are you okay?"

The guy squeezed himself out from between the rocks, and slowly straightened up. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks to you." He held out a hand. "I'm Miguel."

Ash shook it. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Abra." He looked Miguel up and down and frowned. "What happened?"

He couldn't see any Pokéballs, and this wasn't the place where people just wandered around. Miguel coughed and adjusted his glasses. "I wasn't really meant to be down here," he admitted. "I'm doing an internship with the Pewter City Museum, and we're on a trip to look for fossils. I thought there might be something interesting down here, but I got lost, and then the Zubat came." He shuddered, face paling under the grime. "What if they come back? I don't have any Pokémon, what am I going to do?"

"Calm down," Ash said firmly. "I'll help you find your friends."

Miguel stared at him. "You will? Thank you so much!" Then he frowned. "But how? I got so turned around, I have no idea which way it is."

Ash grimaced. There were so many small passages that he couldn't remember how he had got here either. Eevee might be able to scent their way out, but he really needed a break. Ash thought for a moment, then glanced at Abra.

"You were able to tell that someone was down here," he said. "D'you think you could find the scientists?"

Abra cocked his head to one side. ' _My range isn't that extensive, but I can try.'_

"Thanks," said Ash, with a nod. Abra closed his eyes, and Ash glanced at Miguel. "Abra's gonna see if he can sense them."

Miguel looked sceptical. "Well, that might work. Abra aren't exactly known for their power though, are they?"

Ash was really getting sick of people telling him his starter was useless. He glared at Miguel. "Abra is great," he snapped. "Just you wait."

Miguel had the grace to look abashed. He started fussing with his lab coat, and Ash forced down his annoyance with an effort. He knew how strong Abra was. One day everyone would see it too.

Though he couldn't help wondering just when his starter would evolve.

' _I think I have something.'_

Everything else was instantly forgotten. Ash grinned and bounded over to Abra. "Really? Awesome!"

Miguel's head snapped up. "He found them?"

' _Possibly,'_ said Abra. ' _It's hard to tell from so far away, but I can sense a number of minds, and none of them seem particularly hostile.'_

"That's good enough for me," Ash announced. Even if it wasn't Miguel's friends, they would be safer with a large group. He glanced at Miguel. "C'mon, let's see if it's them. Lead the way, Abra."

Abra shot him a look, and settled pointedly on his shoulder. Ash rolled his eyes. "Fine. Which way?"

' _Which of us just fought off a horde of Zubat? That one."_

Ash turned to the indicated tunnel, and nodded. "Okay then, let's go."

Miguel gave the pair of them a rather wary look, but followed without arguing. Ash kept a careful eye out for any more Zubat, but the noise of the battle seemed to have driven anything in the area away. It had also scared away any more interesting Pokémon that might have been lurking away from the more well-travelled areas, but that couldn't be helped.

Miguel still looked worried though, twitching at every stray sound and movement and never moving more than a few feet away from Ash. Ash cast around for a distraction, and something his new friend had said earlier came to mind.

"So why are you guys looking for fossils anyway?"

Miguel blinked. "Because they're fascinating! Have you never been to the Pewter Museum? You have to go as soon as you reach the city, Ash, it's incredible! We've found fossils that show the evolution of all sorts of Pokémon dating back millions of years! And some facilities have even managed to revive prehistoric Pokémon from fossils!" His eyes glazed over. "Can you imagine it, Ash? Meeting a Pokémon that lived before humans even existed?"

He had forgotten his worries at least. Ash felt a faint flicker of amusement from Abra, but his own interest was piqued.

"That is really cool," he agreed. "Have you ever revived a fossil Pokémon?"

Miguel shook himself, and sighed. "Ah, no. We don't really have the funding. It's really expensive to revive fossils," he explained, when Ash gave him a blank look. "The Cinnabar Lab managed to get a grant, and the Devon Corporation in Hoenn has been developing their own techniques, but we don't have anything like that."

"I guess that makes sense," said Ash slowly. He tried not to be too disappointed, prehistoric Pokémon sounded awesome, but if they were that hard to revive then it was unlikely he would ever get to see one. He shook off the thought, there were hundreds of awesome Pokémon out there.

"Yeah, its a shame," said Miguel. He ducked under a sharp outcropping, promptly tripped over another rock, and sighed. "I think I should stick to lab work."

' _Not much further,'_ said Abra. His tail wrapped more tightly around Ash's neck as he yawned. ' _You owe me a full day's sleep.'_

Ash reached up to pat his head. ' _I know, but you've been brilliant today. And it has been good training, right?'_

Abra grumbled but didn't contradict him, so Ash counted that as agreement. He ducked around another corner, then paused. "Can anyone else hear that?"

It was very faint, but he thought he could make out the faint murmur of voices. Miguel squinted into the gloom, and Abra nodded. ' _That's them. Keep going in that direction, I'm going back to sleep. Don't call me unless you absolutely have to."_

With that, he vanished back into his Pokéball. Miguel jumped back with a start of surprise. "Is...is he all right?"

"He's fine," said Ash, shooting a fond smile at his belt. "Just tired out. Don't worry, it's not far. And I've still got two more Pokémon if we do run into any trouble," he added, when Miguel started twitching again.

Miguel chewed on his lip for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Thanks."

Ash smiled, and started heading in the direction of the voices. "No problem."

"No, I mean it. You put yourself in danger to help me."

Ash blinked, the grinned at him. "Anyone would have done the same. Now come on, let's find your friends."

Miguel stared at him for a long minute, then shook himself and followed Ash down the passage. "I think I can hear them too now."

Ash nodded, he could definitely make out distinct voices instead of just an indistinct babble. He followed the passage round to the left and blinked as they ended up in a surprisingly large cavern. Electric lights lined the walls, powered by a bored-looking Magneton, and people in white coats carrying clipboards were huddled together. One of them looked up at their entrance, and waved.

"There you are, Miguel! We were starting to get worried." Then he looked at Miguel properly and all but ran across the cave. "What happened?"

Miguel flushed as he began to explain himself. Ash was only half-listening, he was too interested in watching the nearest scientists start screeching at each over a dull grey rock, but he glanced back when he heard his name.

"- but Ash and his Pokémon drove them off, and then helped me get back here."

The man's eyes were very wide by the time he finally turned to Ash. "It looks like we owe you. My name's Seymour, I'm part of the research team at the museum."

"I'm Ash Ketchum," Ash said, shaking his hand. "And it was no trouble at all!"

"It was to me," Miguel interrupted. "I'd have been in real trouble if you hadn't shown up. Thank you."

Seymour looked the teen up and down and shook his head. "Next time, perhaps you'll stick to the designated areas, but never mind. Go and check in Haruki, she's got the first aid kit."

"Yes, sir." He gave Ash a final warm smile, and headed for the rest of the group. Seymour shook his head.

"He was lucky you found him when you did. Speaking of which, are your Pokémon all right?"

"They're okay," Ash assured him. "They're just a bit tired."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Seymour with a nod. He rummaged in his belt pouch and retrieved two large Sitrus berries. "Here, these will help them recover more quickly."

Ash blinked, then smiled. "That's really nice of you, thank you, but, well, Abra's asleep and I don't think he'd want to be woken up, and Eevee was kind of tired too."

Seymour nodded, but before he could say anything there was a flash of light and Eevee appeared at Ash's feet. His tail was drooping, but his eyes were very bright and he jumped into Ash's arms with a bark. Ash caught him automatically and stroked his ears.

"Are you okay?" he said. "That wasn't much of a rest."

Eevee licked his cheek, and scrambled out of his arms to cling to Ash's shoulder. Ash spared a moment to wonder why his partners liked sitting there so much, before shaking himself and turning back to Seymour, who was smiling at them.

"I guess Eevee isn't that tired."

Seymour chuckled. "So I see." He offered the berry to Eevee. "Thank you for helping my friend, Eevee."

Eevee licked at his fingers, and accepted the treat with a cheerful yip. Ash reached up to scratch his ruff. "Thanks, but it was really nothing." A crash sounded from behind them, making Ash jump, but Seymour just rubbed his eyes.

"Please be careful with the samples, Tony."

"Sorry, sir!"

Seymour shook his head. Ash glanced round at the hustle and bustle and decided it couldn't hurt to ask. "So, have you found any fossils here?"

"Not on this trip," said Seymour, with a sigh. "But that's okay, it just works out like that sometimes. I don't even specialise in fossils, to be honest, but were a bit short-handed at the moment." He shook his head, and smiled. "Anyway, you must be keen to get back to your journey. Thank you again for your help."

"No problem, said Ash cheerfully. He started to turn away, then paused. "Um, which way is Pewter City again?"

Ten minutes later, Ash was back on his way with a very detailed map clutched in his hand. The way back to the main path was clear enough, but he wasn't too worried. He had his Pokémon, and after today he had no doubts whatsoever about their capabilities.

He was particularly impressed with Eevee, who had refused to return to his Pokéball despite Ash's promises that he wasn't going to run into another horde of Zubat. The little Normal-type had been brilliant all day, and Ash felt a warm rush of pride. There was no way Gary's Eevee had had such a tough challenge and done so well.

A bark drew his attention from a very pleasant daydream about utterly destroying Gary, and Ash looked down in time to see Eevee drop something at his feet.

"Huh? What have you found?"

He crouched down, and blinked. "A rock?"

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. The rock was about the size of both his fists and roughly oval, but it was just a rock. Eevee looked so proud of himself though, that Ash had to smile.

"Thanks, Eevee."

Eevee's eyes brightened, and he batted his prize towards Ash's hand. Ash looked at it, then at him. "You want me to bring it with me?"

Eevee barked again, his dark eyes shining. Ash hesitated. He wasn't sure he really wanted to be carrying a rock around, but he also couldn't bear to disappoint his friend. "Okay then."

He picked it up, and hefted it in his hand for a moment. It was lighter than he expected, and when he brushed some of the dirt off it gleamed an odd golden-brown in the dim light. Ash shrugged, and stuffed it down to the bottom of his rucksack, and ruffled Eevee's ears. "Thank you."

Eevee licked at his hand, then his tiny fangs showed in another massive yawn. Ash shook his head. "I think you should get some more sleep. I promise I'll call if I run into any more trouble, okay?"

Eevee gave him a look of pure adoration, and returned to his Pokéball. Ash swung his bag back onto his shoulders, and sent out Psyduck. She gave him a look and the closest rocks floated into the air to hover behind her, and Ash smiled.

"Same as before then?"

Psyduck nodded, and waddled off ahead of him. Up ahead were the bright lights of the main passage, and Ash picked up his pace. Pewter City, and his second Gym Badge awaited.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favourites! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Ash liked Pewter City. It wasn't as new and shiny as Cerulean had been, but it was still very different from Pallet Town and Ash wanted to see as much of it as he could. His mom had suggested a bunch of things that travellers should do in Pewter, though he would definitely be skipping the museum. He had had enough of rocks.

First things first. Ash took a deep breath, and looked down at the four Pokéballs on his belt.

"Everyone ready?"

Two of the 'balls rocked in confirmation. The others remained still, and a faint sigh echoed in Ash's mind. ' _Of course we are. Let's get on with this.'_

Ash rolled his eyes, and pushed open the door.

The interior was also about as different from Cerulean as it was possible to be. Instead of the bright lights and show business of the Sensational Sisters, the interior was plain but for the rock-covered arena. At the far end of the room on a slightly raised platform stood a boy a few years older than Ash, and he folded his arms as Ash approached.

"Welcome to the Pewter City Gym," he called. "My name is Brock."

Ash didn't like how he had to tilt his head to look up at him. "My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge you for a badge."

Brock cocked his head to one side, and looked Ash up and down. "Is this your first Gym battle?"

"Nope," said Ash, shaking his head. "I got my first Badge from Misty, in Cerulean."

Brock frowned. "But you're from Pallet. How did you get to - actually, never mind. If you know what's going to happen, then let's get on with this." He stepped down from the platform and moved to one side of the arena. "This will be a two on two battle, and you may switch Pokémon whenever you want."

Ash nodded. That worked out fine for him. Eevee would be disappointed, but there would be other battles. He took up his position opposite Brock, and selected his first Pokéball. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I hope so," said Brock grimly. He sent out his first Pokémon, a tough looking Geodude that glared at Ash and cracked it's knuckles. Ash gulped, but he had trained for this. They were ready.

"Psyduck, I choose you!"

Psyduck promptly materialised on the field in front of him. She scratched her head and nodded to Ash before turning to fix Brock with a glare. The Gym Leader nodded. "Good choice, but type isn't everything. Let's see how she does against Geodude!"

Ash grinned. "All right! We know how to handle Geodude, right, Psyduck?"

Brock cocked his head to one side, then smiled. "Right, you must have come through Mount Moon from Cerulean. We'll see how much you learned. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's begin! Geodude, start us off with Rock Throw!"

"You know what to do, Psyduck!" Ash called.

Psyduck nodded. She waved a flipper, and the rock came to an abrupt halt in front of her. She gestured again, and the rock flew back through the air to crack against Geodude's head. Body. Whatever it was.

"Perfect!" Ash cheered. They had realised in Mount Moon that Psyduck wasn't agile enough to dodge attacks like the rest of his Pokémon were, but working on her Psychic powers had paid off. "Now follow up with Water Pulse!"

Geodude wasn't built for speed either, and the jet of water sent it flying across the arena. Ash held his breath, but Brock's Geodude was a lot tougher than the ones in the caves and it bounced upright straight away. Ash clenched his fists. "Okay, Psyduck, keep that up!"

"Not bad, Ash," Brock called. "But let's see what you make of this. Geodude, Sandstorm!"

Geodude waved a rocky fist, and his figure was soon obscured in a cloud of swirling sand.

"What?" Ash demanded. "What's that gonna do?"

Brock folded his arms. "So this is your first time dealing with weather conditions in battle. Interesting."

Ash scowled at him. "It doesn't matter, we're still gonna win! Water Gun!"

Psyduck did so, but although the attack was on target Geodude seemed more annoyed than hurt by the impact. Ash frowned, then saw Psyduck wince. "Psyduck? What's wrong?"

She flinched again, and Ash saw red marks appearing on her skin. He squinted awkwardly through the sand. "Sandstorm's doing that?"

That wasn't fair. Brock smirked. "Only Rock, Ground, and Steel types are tough enough to be out in Sandstorms, Ash."

Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't have any of those types. Maybe he should have caught a Geodude of his own after all. He wrenched his attention back to the battle when Brock raised a hand.

"All right, Geodude, let's go back on the offensive. Use Rock Tomb!"

"Psyduck, catch it!"

Psyduck tried, Ash could see her trying, but the stinging sand was too much of a distraction. She was barely able to slow the rocks enough to make an awkward dodge. The rocks thudded into the floor far too close for comfort, and Ash swallowed.

"Its okay, Psyduck! We can still do this."

Psyduck shot him a brief but very expressive look over her shoulder. Ash stared out at the battlefield, thoughts racing. Her attacks were somehow being absorbed by all the sand. The sand was hurting and distracting her enough that she might not be able to keep catching all the big rocks Geodude was attacking with.

She couldn't catch the big rocks...

"Psyduck, use your Psychic power to keep the sand away from you!"

Psyduck did a double-take, but waved her flipper. Ash held his breath, and then cheered. "All right!"

It was hard to tell with the sandstorm still raging, but the sand was being diverted around her. Ash grinned, the success of his idea revitalising his flagging spirits. "Great! Now, can you do that over a larger distance? Enough to get a proper attack through?"

Psyduck hesitated. Ash cast a quick glance at Brock, but the Gym Leader seemed content to see what he could come up with, and Ash glanced back at his partner. "I know you're tired, but this will work, I know it! Please, just try it?"

Psyduck caught his eye and nodded. She glared back at Geodude, and the winds seemed to fade slightly.

"It's working!" Ash urged. "Keep it up!"

But Psyduck was shaking, and even as Ash watched she staggered and nearly fell. Ash bit his lip. "Come on! You can do it, Psyduck!"

Psyduck glanced at him again, and something in her face shifted. She closed her eyes and gripped at her head.

"Psyduck?" Ash asked. "Are you okay?"

Psyduck didn't reply. Ash bit his lip, but just as he was considering switching her out something stopped him. She was shaking her head like she was in pain, and her body was glowing with a faint light.

"Psyduck?"

Psyduck opened her eyes. Still gripping her head, the light exploded into a brilliant blue flash that left Ash blinking back stars. He tried to speak, but Psyduck shook her head and every particle of sand seemed to freeze in place before crashing to the floor.

"Watch out, Geodude," Brock called, but Ash was faster.

"Awesome, Psyduck! Now use Water Pulse!"

Psyduck needed no prompting. The attack hit Geodude right on target, and the Rock-type went flying back through the air and hit the wall with a crash.

When the dust and sand finally settled, Geodude was out cold.

"Geodude is unable to battle," Brock announced. "Nice job on beating our Sandstorm."

Ash though, was so focused on his partner that he barely heard the praise. "Psyduck! Are you all right?"

Psyduck continued to hold her head, but she managed a weak nod. Ash let out a breath. "Good. You were awesome!"

Psyduck nodded again and Ash had to smile. They were halfway to their next Badge.

"You did well," Brock agreed. "Even if we were going on easy on you, a lot of new trainers have trouble with that."

Ash grinned, then paused. "Wait, you were going easy on us?"

"If you had more Badges I'd have made it harder by ordering Geodude to hide underground," Brock explained. "But as it was, the weather was enough of a test." He smiled, and held up his second Pokéball. "Let's see if you can keep it up."

He threw the 'ball, and a flash of light appeared. A lot of light. Ash craned his neck and swallowed.

"That...that's an Onix, right?"

Onix let out a deep rumble that Ash could feel through his trainers, and Brock grinned. "Right. He was my first Pokémon, and he's one of my toughest."

Ash bit his lip. Psyduck was strong, and she had a great type advantage, but she had been through a tough battle already and was still clutching her head. Onix roared, and Ash made up his mind.

"Come back, Psyduck," he called. "Take a quick rest, okay?"

He thought he saw approval flicker in Brock's eyes as Psyduck returned to her Pokéball. "Choose wisely, Ash. Onix is strong."

Ash grinned. "I know exactly who to use here. Budew, I choose you!"

Budew appeared with a happy squeak, and waved her leaves at Ash before turning to glare up at Onix. Brock's jaw dropped. "Where did you get a Budew? I thought they were only native to Hoenn and Sinnoh."

"I got lucky," Ash told him, with a smile. "She was the first Pokémon I caught, and she's been a great friend."

Budew glanced back to beam at him, and Ash's smile widened. She had been awesome against Misty, and he knew she wouldn't let him down here either. Brock, though, was frowning. "I can see that, but are you sure you want to use her here?"

Budew gave an indignant squeak, but Ash could kind of see his point. Onix towered over him, let alone the tiny Grass-type. Not that it made any difference. Budew would never let him down. "She can handle it. I trust her."

Brock didn't look completely convinced, but he nodded. "All right then. Let's see what you can do. Onix, use Wrap!"

"Dodge it, and stick to the plan," Ash shouted.

Budew nodded, and waited until Onix was too close to change direction before bouncing out of the way. As she did so she launched the now familiar flurry of powders, and Ash grinned as some of the golden spores settled into the cracks between the boulders that made up Onix's body.

"All right, that's perfect, Budew!"

They were lucky that Psyduck had dealt with the Sandstorm. All the wind and sand would have been a serious problem. Onix's movements were already becoming stiff and awkward though so it had paid off.

"Good move," Brock agreed. "But Onix is still the toughest thing on the battlefield."

Ash didn't need telling twice. "Doesn't matter if he can't touch her! Stay out of reach, Budew!"

Budew chirped, and danced out of the way of another lunging Tackle. Onix was left off-balance, and Ash seized the opportunity. "Now, use Absorb!"

Green light suffused Budew's body for a moment before lancing out, and Onix let out a roar as it made contact. Budew's leaves perked up as she regained energy, and Ash grinned. "Great! Now keep that up."

Budew nodded and started gathering energy again, but this time the green glow was a lot brighter and Onix visibly sagged at the energy drain. Brock frowned. "You got lucky, Ash. It looks like your Budew has learned Mega Drain."

"Really? That's awesome! You hear that, Budew? There's no way we're gonna lose this battle."

Budew waved, but Brock was shaking his head. "That was a good start, but we're not done yet. Onix, use Rock Polish."

"What? What does that do?"

' _We have got to sit down with a list of moves and their effects after this.'_

' _Not now, Abra!'_

Ash scowled up at Onix, who's body seemed to be gleaming. "Okay, Budew, don't let him do whatever he's doing! Use Mega Drain again!"

Budew nodded, but this time Onix was ready. It whipped sideways, moving far faster than it had been up until now, and the Grass-typed attack went wide.

"It got faster," Ash realised, with a groan. "Be careful, Budew."

Budew nodded, but even with the warning she was unable to avoid the full-bodied tackle that seemed to come out of nowhere. The impact sent her flying through the air, and she bounced twice on the rocky ground before skidding to a halt.

"Budew!"

For a long, heart-stopping moment, Budew didn't move. Ash's nails were digging into his palms, and it was all he could do to keep his fear from his voice. "Come on, Budew, get up! I know you can do it!"

The tips of Budew's leaves twitched ever so slightly. Ash swallowed. "Please, Budew," he called. "You're strong and tough and there's no way you're gonna lose!"

Slowly, painfully, Budew raised her head. Ash held her gaze, trying to let her see his faith. His heart was hammering so hard it was almost painful. He hated seeing his friends hurt, but he knew Budew and he knew she could do it. She just had to believe it.

Budew's eyes narrowed, and she got up.

"All right!" Ash cheered. "Now let's win this thing!"

Budew nodded and turned back to glare at Onix. The giant Rock-type roared, and Ash had to fight the urge to take a step back. He couldn't let Budew see him worry. She was in bad shape as it was, if he looked like he doubted her then they would be in real trouble.

Ash shook his head. Onix had taken a lot of damage too. They could do this.

He concentrated on Onix again, trying to work out a weak spot. He had seen how fast it could move with the speed boost, bu its movements were still kind of awkward and Ash remembered with a jolt that it was still paralysed.

"Okay, Budew," he said softly. "I know it's really fast, but so are you, and it's too big to change direction easily. Wait until you see an opening, and then give it everything you've got."

Budew chirped an acknowledgement and waved tauntingly Onix. It reared back with a snarl, and Brock raised a fist.

"We'll take you down with one strike! Onix, use Tackle!"

"Careful," Ash called, but his words were drowned out in the grinding of rock as Onix launched itself at his tiny Grass-type.

But this time it was Budew who jumped aside, her body already glowing bright green, and before Onix could correct its course the Mega Drain struck home. It let out a pained shriek and Budew's scratches faded as she absorbed energy, but she didn't stop the attack until Onix finally crashed to the floor and lay still.

There was silence, then Brock sighed and returned his partner.

"Onix is unable to battle. Congratulations, Ash."

For a moment Ash could only stare at him, then the words sank in and a grin spread across his face.

"We did it." Budew turned to beam back at him, and Ash let out a shout of delighted laughter. "You did it, Budew!"

He sprinted out onto the field and caught his little Grass-type up into a hug. "You were amazing! Thank you so much."

Budew nuzzled into him with a delighted squeak, then she suddenly paused. Ash looked down, and blinked. "Huh?"

Budew was glowing again. Not like when she used Mega Drain, but with a soft white light that seemed to spread through her entire body.

"She's evolving," Brock gasped.

Ash set her back on the ground and stepped away as the light blazed bright. She shot up, twin roses blossomed, and then there was a final flash that left Ash blinking back stars and the light faded. Ash rubbed his eyes and took in the sight of his newly evolved Pokémon.

She had grown. Not much, but it was definitely noticeable. A red rose had bloomed from her right hand, and a blue one from her left, and as the last of the light subsided she did a delighted twirl.

"Wow," Ash breathed. He fumbled for his PokéDex and flicked it open.

"That's a Roselia."

Ash tore his eyes from his partner to find Brock standing next to them. He looked Roselia over, and gave them both a warm smile. "Congratulations."

Roselia bowed, and Ash grinned. "Thanks. You look great, Roselia!"

There was another flash of light, and Abra appeared next to her. He cocked his head to one side, as she did another twirl, and nodded. She patted him on the head with one of the roses, and Abra flickered away to reappear on Ash's shoulder.

' _She likes having arms.'_

Ash burst out laughing. Brock shot them a bemused look, but Roselia giggled and Ash had to pick her up for a hug. "Thank you," he repeated.

Roselia flung her arms round his neck, and Ash felt the weight disappear as Abra Teleported out of arms reach again. He hugged Roselia back, mindful of her poisonous thorns, and smiled. He'd won a Gym battle, and one of his Pokémon had evolved. This was the best day ever.

Even if he was kind of surprised that Budew had evolved before Abra. Most people's starters evolved quickly. Gary's Squirtle had evolved into a Wartortle ages ago. Abra hadn't shown any signs of evolving yet.

Brock coughed, and Ash looked up to find the Gym Leader smiling at him. Ash blushed. "Sorry. Thanks for a great battle, Brock."

"It was my pleasure." He cocked his head to one side. "You know, Ash, the thing about a lot of baby Pokémon is that they only evolve when they really love and trust their trainer."

Ash blinked. "Really?"

Brock nodded, his smile widening. "Yeah. And I could feel the bond between you in that battle." He held out his hand. "It's my pleasure to present you with the Boulder Badge."

Ash had completely forgotten about the badge. Roselia chirped, and Psyduck appeared in a flash of light to study their prize, until Ash finally took it. "Thanks, Brock. We all had a lot of fun."

"It was," Brock agreed. "My Pokémon enjoyed it too." He held out a hand, and Ash set Roselia down so he could shake it. "Do you know where you're headed next?"

Ash shook his head. "Not yet. We've got six more badges to get, so anywhere with a Gym, I guess."

Brock nodded. "In that case, you could try Viridian. The Gym Leader is tough, but it is the closest one to us."

"That sounds good," Ash agreed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Even through his own delight, Ash couldn't help but notice that Brock's smile had turned rather wistful. A faint flicker of concern echoed from Abra, and Ash frowned. "Um, Brock? Is something wrong?"

Brock blinked, then rubbed the back of his head. "What? Oh no, everything's fine."

Ash eyed him, and after a moment the smile faded and he sighed. "I guess I just envy you."

"What?" Ash asked. "Why?"

"Because you get to travel all around the country with your Pokémon," Brock explained. "You get to see so many places, and meet new people and Pokémon wherever you go." He looked round at the Gym, and sighed again. "Don't get me wrong. Being a Gym Leader is fine. I like getting to meet new trainers and test the bonds they have with their Pokémon, but sometimes I think it'd be nice to be able to go out and explore."

Ash nodded slowly. He had only been on the road for a couple of months, but already he couldn't imagine doing anything else. Brock shook his head. "Ah well, never mind. Sorry for going on like that."

"No no, it's fine," said Ash quickly. "But if you want to go and travel for a while, what's stopping you? There must be other people who could run the Gym for a while."

Brock's jaw clenched. "There should be. My father was the Gym Leader before me. But he's gone now, and it doesn't look like he's coming back any time soon, so I'm stuck here."

Ash's stomach lurched. He could understand the bitterness in Brock's voice all too well. Abra shot him a curious look, but Ash focused back on Brock before his starter could start asking questions. "I'm sorry. That must be hard."

Brock shrugged. "I guess, but it's necessary. I have nine younger siblings," he said, when Ash frowned. "With both our parents gone, I'm all they've got. I can't go and leave them too."

Ash's hands clenched into fists, but before he could say something he would probably regret Brock forced a smile. "And being a Gym Leader isn't so bad really. I still get to meet new trainers, like you." The smile turned slightly more genuine as he looked over Ash's Pokémon. "And if you're ever in the area, feel free to drop by for a rematch. Just to warn you, I won't go easy on you next time!"

"And I wouldn't want you to," said Ash immediately. "But we're gonna get a lot stronger too!"

Brock laughed. "I don't doubt that at all. Good luck on your journey, Ash."

"Thanks. I'll come by and visit some time."

Roselia waved and Psyduck nodded, and then the two of them returned to their Pokéballs. Abra settled back on Ash's shoulder, but Ash couldn't help lingering. "Hey, Brock?"

"Yes?"

Ash hesitated, but now he had to know. "What would you want to do? If you didn't have to run the Pewter Gym, I mean."

"I want to be a Pokémon Breeder," said Brock, without a moment's hesitation. "To focus on raising and looking after Pokémon, rather than just battling with them." He caught Ash's eye and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Ash. Who knows what might happen in the future?"

Slowly Ash nodded. "I guess. I hope you get to follow your dream one day."

"Me too. Take care, Ash."

Ash left the Gym in rather lower spirits than he had expected. He could feel Abra's growing concern, but despite his pride in his victory, and in how his partners had performed, he couldn't help thinking back to the look in Brock's eyes.

' _Ash, the Pokémon Centre is in the other direction.'_

Ash stopped, sighed, and turned round. "Thanks."

' _What is the matter? You got the Badge, Psyduck got stronger, and Roselia evolved. This was a good day.'_

"Yeah, it was," Ash agreed. He shook his head, and squared his shoulders. There was nothing he could do to help Brock, and he didn't think the Gym Leader would want him brooding over it. He reached up to pat Abra's head. "Sorry. I'll stop it."

Abra hummed, leaning into his touch, and Ash smiled. His starter was really smart, and a good friend.

They made it back to the Pokémon Centre without any more wrong turns. Ash showed off his new Badge to Nurse Joy, and then to Eevee while Nurse Joy took Psyduck and Roselia through to get healed, and then to some other random trainers he heard talking about challenging Brock.

' _I'm glad you're feeling better.'_

Ash rolled his eyes. "I just got it, I'm allowed to be proud."

Eevee yipped in agreement, though he still looked disappointed. Ash scratched his ruff. "I know you wanted to battle, but a Rock Gym just wasn't a good match-up. You can have a go at the next one, I promise."

Eevee's ears pricked up at that, and he licked at Ash's hand. Ash smiled, and pinned the Badge carefully to the inside of his jacket. He would have to show his mom the next time he called. Eevee curled up in a patch of sunlight to nap, but instead of disappearing back into his 'ball like usual Abra settled on the sofa next to Ash. Ash eyed him.

"Are you feeling all right?"

' _Why wouldn't I be?'_

"Eevee's sleeping, and you're not," Ash pointed out. "It's weird."

Abra huffed and shook his head. ' _I'm fine. It's not like I've done anything today.'_ His tail flicked from side to side. ' _May I ask you something?'_

Ash blinked. "Er, sure. What's up?"

Abra was silent for a moment, then tilted his head up to look at Ash. ' _You're always talking about your mom. You call her whenever we get to a Pokémon Centre. But you never talk about your dad.'_

Ash grimaced. "You noticed that, huh?"

He shouldn't really be surprised. Abra was smart, a lot smarter than him. He had been bound to notice something eventually. His partner nodded but said nothing, and Ash scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing, really," he finally said. "He left when I was little, and we haven't seen him since."

Shock that wasn't his own echoed through his mind. ' _He left you?'_

"Yeah," said Ash grimly. "He's never written, or called or anything."

For a moment he let the old resentment swell up, but then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. He didn't care about us, so why should I care about him?"

Abra tilted his head to one side, and Ash elaborated, "My mom was the one that was there for me. She cared about how I did in school, and what I wanted to do, and taught me about Pokémon. I don't need a dad, because I've got the best mom in the world."

Abra held his gaze for a long minute, and then warm fondness burned in Ash's mind. ' _I think I'd like to meet her. Properly, not just over a video call.'_

Ash smiled at that. "She'd like that too." Then he blinked. "Wait, we could do that!"

Abra frowned, but Ash was already scrambling over to the large map on the wall. Abra floated over to join him, and Ash pointed. "See, it's like Brock said, the closest Gym to us now is the one in Viridian, and Viridian is only a few day's walk from Pallet! We could easily drop in on Mom!"

Now that he'd thought of it, the idea was looking more and more appealing. All this talk of his dad had made him really miss Mom. Abra hovered closer to the map, and nodded. ' _That could work. And from Pallet we could travel on to Cinnabar Island. That symbol means there's a Gym there, doesn't it?'_

"That's right," Ash confirmed. "I think the Gym Leader there uses Fire types, I've heard Professor Oak talk about it."

Abra nodded again. ' _That shouldn't be a problem, as long as you don't use Roselia.'_

"Of course I wouldn't," said Ash, rolling his eyes. "I'm not stupid." Then he felt a flicker of amusement and scowled. "Hey!"

Abra smirked, and Ash felt a rush of fondness for his starter. He reached out to scratch Abra's head. "Sounds like we've got ourselves a plan."

Abra leaned into the contact with a faint hum. ' _Agreed.'_ He settled on Ash's shoulder, and his heavy tail wrapped round the back of Ash's neck. ' _For what it's worth, I think your mom did a great job.'_

"Thanks," said Ash softly.

He turned back to the map, all thought of his father set aside. He had Mom, and some great friends, and that was all he needed.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favourites! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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"All right! Now finish it off with Psywave!"

Abra waved a claw, and the pulse of Psychic energy sent the Pinsir slamming against a tree. It slumped to the forest floor and started to snore, and Abra Teleported back to Ash's shoulder.

' _I win. And I am not fighting any more Bug-types. Ever.'_

Ash rolled his eyes fondly, and reached up to scratch his partner's head. "Great job, Abra." He smirked at the pouting Samurai. "I told you my Pokémon were strong."

"But that's a Psychic-type," Samurai spluttered. "How did you beat my Pinsir?"

' _I'm good at this.'_

Ash had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling, but shook his head. "We've done a lot of training, but that was a fun match."

' _Fun for you maybe, you weren't the one dodging the giant horns.'_

"And Abra had fun too," said Ash brightly. He ignored the flicker of exasperation, and shook Samurai's hand. "Good luck with your journey."

He watched Samurai disappear back into the forest on his never-ending bug hunt, until Abra poked him in the head. ' _I need a Potion.'_

Ash winced. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't think that Pinsir would be fast enough to catch you Teleporting." He swung Abra off his shoulder and onto the tree stump next to his bag. "Let me have a look at your shoulder."

Abra hesitated, then slowly extended the injured limb. Pinsir had only caught him a glancing blow, but the joint had already turned a dark bluish-purple that made Ash slightly queasy. Abra scowled up at him. ' _Yes, it does hurt. Well spotted. Can I please have that Potion now?'_

"Right, sorry." He rummaged in his rucksack for his medical supplies. "Is a normal one okay?"

' _Ash, I really don't care so just give me the medicine!'_

"Okay, okay."

He hadn't used Potions before, his Pokémon were usually fine with the berries Melanie had told him about, but they were simple enough. They weren't much good for serious injuries, but they were great for superficial stuff like this.

Abra still flinched when the spray met the injury, and Ash rubbed his back.

"Sorry, but this will help."

' _I know,'_ Abra muttered. ' _Thanks. But I meant it. No more Bugs.'_

Ash frowned at him. "I get it, but you can't just not fight Bug-types. Same as Dark-types."

' _Ugh.'_

"I mean it," said Ash gently. "I know it's hard, but if I'm going to be a Pokémon Master then I need to be able to fight anyone." Abra frowned, but Ash didn't let him interrupt, "And I know I'm gonna get other Pokémon, but you're my starter. I want you to be able to look after yourself."

' _I can look after myself,'_ said Abra. ' _But I do see your point.'_ He flexed his arm, and nodded. ' _That feels a bit better. Thank you.'_

Ash scratched his head. "Any time." He set the empty bottle back in his bag. "See, this is why I picked you to fight Samurai. The more you practice the easier it'll get, just like when you were learning how to use your Psychic attacks."

Abra did not look convinced. Ash chewed on his lip for a moment, then brightened. "I know, maybe we can teach you some moves that are good against Bug-types. And Dark-types. And...and..."

' _Ghosts_ ,' Abra supplied dryly.

"I knew that," Ash shot back. "What do you think about the idea?"

Abra was silent for a minute. Ash took the opportunity to let his other Pokémon out for a break. Roselia spun in delight as she drank in the bright sunlight, while Psyduck immediately waddled back to the shelter of the nearest trees. Eevee bounced around them both before racing off after a Pidgey, and Ash found himself smiling as he watched them. He settled himself on the stump next to Abra, and nudged his starter.

"C'mon, what do you think? You wanna learn some new moves?"

Abra eyed him. ' _How long do we have? Because it's taken nearly a month to learn Confusion and Psybeam.'_

"Yeah, but now you've got the hang of learning new things so it'll go much faster from now on."

Eevee raced up for long enough for a pat and a hug before dashing off into the undergrowth again. Abra sighed. ' _I don't know how successful it'll be, but I suppose we can give it a try.'_

"Great!" Ash exclaimed. It would be hard work, but he was sure they could work it out. "And it'll be easier when you evolve as well."

His partner would have a lot more power as a Kadabra. Ash could hardly wait to see what they could do together. Roselia was way stronger than she had been as a Budew, and when Psyduck and Eevee evolved as well...

Then Ash realised that the unease prickling at the back of his neck wasn't his own. Abra's tail was twitching, and Ash frowned.

"What's wrong?"

' _Nothing,'_ said Abra curtly.

Ash stared at him. "Why do you do that? I can literally feel that you're upset." Abra's tail twitched more violently, and Ash rested a careful hand on his uninjured shoulder. "Abra, you're my best friend. If there's something wrong then I want to make it better."

Abra blinked. ' _I'm your best friend?'_

"Well, yeah. You know me better than anyone. Except Mom, but that's different." He smiled. "C'mon, what's wrong?"

Abra held his gaze for a long moment, then sighed. ' _Ash, you do realise that just because Budew evolved quickly it doesn't mean that the rest of us will, don't you? I know I'm not ready yet.'_

"Okay," said Ash slowly. "But why don't you want to evolve?"

' _You're not listening,'_ Abra snapped. ' _It's not a question of not wanting to, I'm just not ready to yet. I don't know when I will be.'_

Ash opened his mouth, then paused and closed it again. He thought that through for a minute. "That's fine, I guess. What do you want to do then, take part in more battles so you can get stronger?"

Abra shrugged. ' _I don't know. Now I just want to sleep.'_ He hesitated, and glanced up at Ash. ' _You're not angry?'_

"Of course not! I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."

It would make things harder, but none of this had been easy so far. Ash wanted to be the best, but if there was anything Professor Oak had drilled into them it was that you would go much further when you worked with your Pokémon. Abra relaxed slightly.

' _Thank you, Ash.'_

"No problem," said Ash quietly. "Get some sleep."

A pulse of gratitude echoed through him as Abra returned himself to his Pokéball. Ash sat back on the tree stump and sighed. That was kind of annoying, but it wasn't like he could force Abra to evolve. They would have to come up with another way of handling Abra's weak points.

Maybe he should look into getting TMs. There had to be something good Abra could learn.

Eevee came racing up again, and Ash reached down to give him a scratch behind the ears. "You having fun?" Eevee barked, and Ash had to to smile. "Don't suppose you feel like evolving?"

But Eevee had already caught sight of a low-flying Butterfree and bounded off after it. Ash laughed. Eevee was only a couple of months old. He didn't have to worry just yet. Psyduck glanced over from where she had settled against the tree and rolled her eyes. Ash just smiled. He didn't have to worry about her either. He slumped against the tree next to her, and handed her a berry.

"How are you doing? Feeling better after the battle with Brock?"

Psyduck shot him an incredulous look, and he held up his hands. "I know it was over a week ago, but I was worried."

He and Abra had been reading up on how Psyduck used their Psychic abilities so he knew about the headache thing now, but it had still scared him. Psyduck shook her head, but the look she shot him was fondly tolerant. Ash smiled, and dug around in his rucksack. They might as well stop for lunch now that everyone was comfortable.

Eevee raced up as soon as Ash retrieved the bag of canine food, and Roselia was only a little way behind. She at least was enjoying the journey through the forest; her leaves were a much healthier green than they had been in Mount Moon, and her roses still looked great. Ash hadn't even had to give her any vitamins all week. Psyduck had been doing well too, but Ash still wanted to ask Professor Oak to give him some tips on taking care of them. He was getting better at battling, but he had a lot to learn about looking after his Pokémon when they were out on their own.

At least he had Bill's extensive notes to help with Eevee. Ash had followed his advice and started adding a dash of Kelpsy Berry juice to the food, much to Eevee's delight. The little Normal-type had already licked his bowl clean and was gazing imploringly up at him, until Ash had to pick him up for a hug.

"Yeah, you're fine," he said softly.

There was a tug in his trouser leg, and Ash glanced down to find Roselia pouting up at him. Laughing, Ash shifted Eevee to the crook of one arm and scooped up his Grass-type with the other. "You like being evolved, right?"

Roselia chirped happily. Psyduck glanced up, and Ash barely had time to recognise the glint in her eyes before she doused them all with a light Water Gun. Eevee yelped and jumped on her, only to look comically confused when she caught and held him in midair. Ash laughed.

"All right, all right, I'll stop talking and get moving." He shook his hat to get the excess water off, and held out the empty bowls. Another Water Gun and a quick drying off later, Ash stuffed them back in their capsules and shouldered his rucksack. "Everyone ready?"

A series of nods met his words. Roselia and Psyduck returned to their Pokéballs, but Eevee remained sitting at Ash's feet, his tail wagging furiously. Ash ruffled his fur. "Okay then, let's get some training done on the way! How do you feeling about learning Bite?"

A faint echo of annoyance resonated in Ash's mind, but he ignored it. His Pokémon needed to be able to fight, and Abra would just have to deal with it. Eevee barked happily, then his little face scrunched up into what was probably an attempt at a ferocious scowl. Ash fought back a smile with an effort. "That's it!" He held out a stick. "Now think like a Dark type."

Eevee nodded and crouched down ready to attack, only to suddenly pause and cock his head to one side. He attempted a rather hesitant snarl, then yipped and flopped down and covered his head with his paws. Ash winced.

"That was good, Eevee, but maybe a try being a bit meaner? Imagine someone stole your food!"

Eevee's tail sagged, but he pushed himself up and tried again. The results were underwhelming to say the least. Ash chewed on his bottom lip. How was he supposed to teach Eevee about Dark types when he knew nothing about them?

"Your mom is an Umbreon, right? Did she tell you anything?"

Eevee shook his head. He licked miserably at Ash's hand, and Ash hugged him. "It's okay. We'll figure it out."

They had come this far. Ash kept thinking as they started to head back along the path. Maybe Professor Oak would be able to help. He had loads of Pokémon that he studied at the ranch, there had to be some Dark-types among them. Or maybe he would meet trainers on the way that might be able to help. They would think of something.

Eevee's tail was still down between his legs though, so Ash reached down to ruffle his hair.

"C'mon, why don't you show me how good your Quick Attack is?"

He knew from a Bill's notes that all the kits had loved showing off their speed. Eevee's ears perked up, and he launched himself into the trees so fast his little legs blurred.

"That's awesome," Ash laughed. Eevee was definitely faster than both Roselia and Psyduck. That would be useful in battles. He headed after his friend, enjoying the chance to soak up the peace of the forest. He could see the high peaks of Mount Silver and the surrounding mountain range through gaps in the leaves, and the sight sent a thrill of excitement through him. He had never been outside Kanto. Once the Indigo League was over he couldn't wait to explore as many other regions as he could.

Ash really loved being a Pokémon trainer.

He kept walking, expecting Eevee to return quickly, but as the minutes passed with no sign of his partner Ash found his delight in the day fading.

"Eevee? Where are you?"

There was no reply. Surely his friend hadn't gone that far. Ash chewed on his lip for a moment, then glanced down at Abra's Pokéball. "Hey, you awake?"

There was a faint sigh. ' _What's wrong?'_

"I don't know," Ash admitted, "but Eevee ran off and now he's not answering me."

Another sigh echoed through his mind, then Abra released himself from his Pokéball and Teleported onto Ash's shoulder. He was silent for a minute, then suddenly stiffened. ' _He found trouble. That way.'_

Ash felt the blood drain from his face and set off at a run. "What is it?" he demanded. "What's going on? Is he okay?"

' _Left a bit. He's fine, but he's found someone that isn't.'_

Ash frowned, but he burst through a bush and then there was no need for further questions.

Two metal birds, Skarmory Ash thought they were called, were standing over a slumped black form. Their claws were stained with blood, and they were screeching furiously at Eevee. The little Normal-type was standing his ground, the beginnings of a Swift Attack forming around his tail, but he looked up at Ash's arrival and barked firmly.

Ash skidded to a halt next to him and glared at the Skarmory.

"Get away from them!"

He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that he couldn't let a Pokémon be hurt. Eevee barked again, and Abra left his shoulder to hover next to them, but both Skarmory let out another series of cacophonous screeches and started advancing.

' _Ash, they're Steel-types,'_ said Abra _. 'None of our attacks will do much.'_

Ash's hands clenched into fists. That wasn't good. Neither Skarmory looked as big as the ones he had seen on TV so maybe they were still young, but they were angry and dangerous and Ash didn't want his Pokémon to be hurt either. He couldn't send Roselia out against Flying-types, and so grabbed Psyduck's 'ball.

"Psyduck, we need your help!"

Psyduck had clearly been listening, but to Ash's surprise Roselia released herself too. There was no time to protest though; the Skarmory were preparing to attack and Ash had to do something.

"Abra, hold the one on the left so Roselia can Paralyze it! Psyduck, use Bubblebeam on the other one, Eevee, Swift on both!"

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they could do. One of the Skarmory froze in place as Abra grabbed it, and Roselia immediately followed up with a flurry of gold powder before Abra threw it off to the side. The other Skarmory went flying back against a tree with the force of Psyduck's Bubblebeam. Eevee's Swift stars had less of an effect, but every single one of them was on target.

The Skarmory clearly hadn't been expecting such an attack. They fell back with a deafening crash of wings and screeching and finally turned on their heels and took off towards the distant mountains.

Ash didn't waste time gloating about the victory. He ran to the injured Pokémon, his own partners at his heels, and dropped to his knees.

"Is it okay?" he asked. "What even is it?" It wasn't a Pokémon he could ever remember seeing before.

Abra leaned down from his shoulder. ' _It's a Sneasel, a female I think.'_ His voice was determinedly calm, but his claws were digging into Ash's arm. ' _They must have chased her down from Mount Silver. She...she's not in good shape."_

Ash could see that for himself. The dark fur was covered in bleeding scratches, but worst of all was the deep gash that crossed her left eye. He leaned forward to help, maybe see if Sneasel would accept a Potion, only for Abra to press a claw against his arm.

' _Ash, be careful,'_ he said urgently _. 'They're Dark-types.'_

"She's hurt!" Ash protested. "We have to help her."

Eevee barked agreement, but when he tried to get close Sneasel lashed out with blinding speed and Eevee fell back with a yelp. Roselia hopped forward, squeaking indignantly, until a blast of cold air missed her by inches. Psyduck pushed her back and planted herself between them, her eyes never leaving Sneasel.

"Watch out, guys," said Ash. "She's scared."

If he was hurt that badly he wouldn't want strange Pokémon near him either. He inched slightly closer, ignoring how Abra tensed on his shoulder, and shifted to look Sneasel in the eye. "Hey," he said gently, "my name's Ash. I want to help you."

Sneasel hissed, but Ash didn't move. "Please, you're really hurt. There's a Pokémon Centre in Viridian City, and Nurse Joy can get you all fixed up."

Sneasel spat something. Abra's tail pressed heavily against Ash's shoulder. ' _She doesn't want help. She says she doesn't need anyone.'_

"Of course not," Ash agreed, "but this is different. We'll just go to the doctor, they'll make you better, and then you can go and do whatever you want."

Sneasel continued to glare at him, but Ash didn't miss the way her shaking was getting more pronounced. Something made him keep his mouth shut, despite every instinct that screamed at him to try to convince her, until finally Sneasel's good eye closed and she gave a faint nod.

Ash let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'm gonna pick you up, okay?"

He started to reach forward, only for Abra to poke him in the side. ' _Ash, wait! Listen to her breathing, look at her chest, there's something broken in there! If you pick her up you could hurt her even more.'_

Ash froze. "What can we do then? We can't leave her here."

Abra shook his head, his fear and indecision rolling over Ash in waves. Eevee whimpered, but fell silent when Psyduck pushed him back towards Roselia. Still keeping a wary eye on Sneasel, the Water-type reached up and tapped one of the empty Pokéballs on Ash's belt.

"You think I should catch her?" said Ash incredulously. "But she's hurt!"

Even as the words left his mouth though, he thought he saw what Psyduck was getting at. Pokéballs kept a Pokémon in exactly the same physical state as when they entered. It wouldn't make Sneasel better, but it would stop her from getting hurt further while they got her to a Pokémon Centre.

Sneasel snarled, and Ash swallowed. That still left the fact that Sneasel clearly didn't want to be caught. She was weakened enough that the Pokéball would probably work, but Ash didn't want her to hurt herself more trying to break free. He took a deep breath, and looked her in the eye.

"I know you don't wanna be caught," he said softly, "but you need help. Please, let me take you to a nurse."

He stretched out a hand, only to yank it back an instant before her claws would have taken it off. Psyduck took a step closer and Abra's terror somehow increased, but Ash waved them both back without looking. "It's okay. I know you're hurt, but everything will be okay if you just trust me." He wracked his brains, and tried again, "I'll even release you the moment we get there. I'll break the Pokéball and everything, I promise. Please, let me help."

For a long minute, the only sound was that of Sneasel's ragged breathing. Ash held her gaze, trying to make her see how serious he was. He didn't care if she liked him, she just had to trust that he would keep his promise. Ash just wanted her to be safe.

Finally, just when Ash was beginning to think he might have to chance it with the Pokéball after all, she gave a tight nod.

"Thank you," Ash whispered. "I swear you won't regret it."

Sneasel hissed, but the sound almost immediately degenerated into a broken whimper. Ash's heart ached as he grabbed an empty Pokéball. "Try to rest. I promise you'll be all right."

He touched the button to her less injured side as gently as he could. Sneasel's eye remained locked on his until she disappeared. Ash tucked the 'ball very carefully into his backpack, and stood up.

"How far is it to Viridian City?"

He knew they were on roughly the right track, but they had been wandering round Viridian Forest for a week and Ash's sense of direction wasn't the best. Abra shook his head.

' _I don't know where the Pokémon Centre is, but I've seen Viridian City. I can get us out of the forest at least.'_

"That would be awesome, Abra, thanks." The trip had been great for training, but they had to move as fast as possible now. Ash's other Pokémon returned to their 'balls without being asked, and Ash glanced at Abra. "Ready?"

Abra floated down to rest in his shoulder, then there was the now familiar wrench of a teleport and Ash found himself looking down at Viridian City. Abra sagged against his neck, and Ash quickly reached up to steady him.

"You all right?"

' _I will be,'_ Abra gasped. ' _You need to get moving.'_

Ash didn't need to be told twice. He returned his starter and set off at a sprint for the city.

Twenty minutes later Ash's heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest and his legs felt like jelly, but he hadn't slowed down once and the Pokémon Centre was in sight. He crashed through the doors and nearly tripped on his own feet on the way up to the desk.

"I need help!" He gasped. "I found...I found a hurt Pokémon and it's really bad and she was bleeding a lot-"

"Slow down, young man," said Nurse Joy. Her voice was kind but firm as she rounded the desk to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Take a breath, and tell me exactly what happened."

Ash sucked in a breath, and tried again. "I found a Sneasel in Viridian Forest," he managed. He was vaguely aware of the other trainers in the room watching and whispering, but he didn't care as he dug around for the Pokéball. "She was being attacked by some Skarmory. We scared them off but it was really bad, and Abra said that it would hurt her if I carried her so I put her in a Pokéball and then he Teleported us here but I don't know if it'll be enough..."

He trailed off as his fingers finally found the Pokéball and he pressed it into the nurse's hands. "We didn't know what to do."

Nurse Joy's face was pale with concern, but she gave him a warm smile. "You did exactly the right thing," she said. "Now just leave the rest to us."

Ash nodded, but when she went to turn away he caught her arm. "Wait, can you let her out here? There's something I promised to do."

The nurse hesitated, but after a moment she nodded and opened the 'ball onto the trolley that had just been brought up by a worried-looking Chansey. Both gasped at the extent of Sneasel's injuries, and the muttering from the other trainers increased, but Ash just shifted to look Sneasel in the eye.

"This is the Pokémon Centre," he said. "You'll be safe here, and Nurse Joy and Chansey will help you. And here."

He took the empty Pokéball from Nurse Joy and snapped it in half. He dropped the pieces in the trash, and smiled at Sneasel. "There. You can do whatever you want afterwards. Just get better, okay?"

Sneasel's eye went very wide. Nurse Joy touched Ash's shoulder, and he stepped back to let them wheel Sneasel through to the back. The door closed behind them, and Ash let out a shaky breath. He had done all he could. It was all up to the medical staff now.

A lot of people were staring at him, but Ash was too drained to care. He slumped onto the bench by the window, and Abra appeared next to him with a flash of light.

' _Well done, Ash. No one could have gotten here faster.'_

"Maybe," said Ash quietly. Thinking about everything that had happened and everything he could have done differently was making his head hurt, and he forced himself to focus on his partner. "Are you okay? You didn't sound good earlier, and you were hurt from that battle. I can ask one of the staff here to help."

Abra eyed him, but after a moment he shook his head. ' _I just need rest. Let them focus on Sneasel.'_

"All right, if you say so." He rubbed his friend's head. "Thanks for all your help. I know you're scared of Dark-types."

Abra leaned into his touch with a hum. ' _That doesn't mean I want them dead.'_ He hesitated a moment. ' _It's just...it's not just that their attacks hurt so much. I can't sense anything from them.'_ Ash frowned, and evidently sensing his confusion Abra elaborated, ' _I can always sense emotions, and even thoughts if I'm concentrating. It's part of how we navigate the world. Not being able to see Dark-types... It's like being blind.'_

"That sounds awful," said Ash quietly. He had kind of known that Dark-types were immune to Psychics, but he hadn't thought about what it meant outside of battle. He gave his partner a hug. "But you did great today. And you can still talk to Dark-types like you can with other Pokémon, right?"

' _I hate talking out loud,'_ Abra grumbled. ' _And it's weird.'_ He relaxed against Ash, his tail finally falling still. ' _I hope she'll be all right.'_

Ash sighed. He did too.

It was a good couple of hours before Nurse Joy returned. Ash had taken to pacing up and down in an attempt to burn off his nervous energy The nurse looked exhausted, but she managed a small smile as she called Ash over.

"She will be all right," she told him. Ash let out an explosive sigh of relief, and she continued, "Her internal injuries were extensive but not life-threatening, and most of the lacerations were superficial. As long as she rests properly, she should make a full recovery." She hesitated. "But we weren't able to save her eye."

Ash's stomach lurched. He had known the injury was bad, but he had hoped that they would be able to do something. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat before he could speak. "She...she's a wild Pokémon. Will she be okay?"

Nurse Joy sighed. "She's strong, and she's determined. Pokémon are injured in the wild all the time, and it isn't easy but they do manage. It's all up to her."

Ash looked down at his feet. Sneasel was a fighter. He was sure she would be fine. It just made his chest hurt to think that she had had to go through all of this.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and Ash looked up into Nurse Joy's face.

"You saved her life, Ash," she said gently. "If you hadn't got her here when you did, and in the way that you did, she probably wouldn't have made it. You did very well."

"Thanks," Ash mumbled. "I wish I could do more."

Nurse Joy's expression turned thoughtful. "You know, Ash, it is going to take some time for Sneasel get used to living with her injuries. I know she doesn't want a trainer right now, but I think she could use a friend."

Abra was immediately on Ash's shoulder. ' _I do not like where this is going.'_

Ash shushed him automatically, but his mind was racing. Sneasel didn't want to be caught, and that was totally fine, Ash respected that, but she had trusted him to help once. Maybe she would let him help again.

It couldn't hurt to offer. Ash couldn't leave without trying.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Any feedback would really be appreciated.**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Apologies for the delay, its been a very busy few months. Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favourites, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

"This is certainly an interesting situation you've gotten yourself into, Ash."

Ash laughed, and scratched the back of his head. "I guess. What do you think I should do, Professor?"

Professor Oak hummed. "Well, there are no League regulations prohibiting you from travelling with a Pokémon that you haven't caught. It's just a question of whether Sneasel will agree. From what you've told me, it sounds like she's a very proud Pokémon."

Ash grimaced. That was the problem. "I just need her to trust me. It would be so good for her to come with us for a bit; she could train against my Pokémon and get used to battling with just one eye somewhere she won't get hurt. I want to help her."

Professor Oak gave him a warm smile. "I know, Ash. I think she will too." His smile faded slightly. "You will just have to make it clear that that's the case. Make sure she knows that you're not trying to trick her."

"I would never do that," Ash protested. Yeah, it would be awesome if Sneasel wanted to join his team, but that wasn't what this was about. He just wanted her to be safe. If things changed in the future then they would talk about it then, but he would never trick a Pokémon into joining him.

"Of course not," Professor Oak soothed, "But that's what she might think. It's going to be up to you to convince her otherwise." He shook his head. "But I have every faith in you, my boy."

Ash smiled. He'd gotten Sneasel to accept his help before. He was sure he could do it again.

"And are you still planning to challenge the Viridian Gym?"

Ash pulled his mind back to the present and nodded. "Yeah, I thought it would be a good chance for Sneasel to see what we can do. We might have to wait until Nurse Joy says she can leave, but that's fine."

Professor Oak nodded, but his expression had turned serious. "Be careful, Ash. The Gym Leader of Viridian is known for having very high standards."

"Then it'll mean even more when we beat him," said Ash firmly. There was no question of losing, not when it was his best chance of proving to Sneasel that he could help her. Getting his next Badge was important too, sure, but he was really worried about Sneasel.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Professor Oak was called away to deal with a misbehaving Rapidash. Ash stared at the blank screen for a moment, then took a breath and went to look for Nurse Joy.

The nurse was not particularly enthused by his idea.

"I understand that you're worried, Ash, but her injuries are extensive and she needs to rest."

"I know," Ash insisted. "I just want to see if she's okay."

Nurse Joy hesitated, but then just as Ash was beginning to think that she would send him away her eyes softened. "You have been waiting all day. All right, but just for a few minutes. She needs her rest, and so do you."

"Thank you!"

Ash didn't give her a chance to change her mind. He dashed past and threw open the door, then promptly stopped short.

If he hadn't seen Sneasel before he would have had no idea what colour her fur was. She was almost completely covered in bandages, from under which ran a number of lines hooked up to various medicines and bags of fluids. Her bandaged eye was closest to him, and Ash saw her ears prick up at her entrance. She started to try to lift her head, and Ash hurried round to her good side.

"Hey, it's okay, it's just me. You need to rest."

Sneasel hissed, but she did lie back down so Ash counted it as a win. She continued to watch him, and Ash had to resist the urge to fidget.

"How are you doing?"

Sneasel's eye narrowed, and Ash winced. "Stupid question, sorry." He pressed on before she could get too annoyed, "Nurse Joy said you'll be back on your feet soon."

Sneasel grunted. Ash shifted from foot to foot. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. I wish we'd been able to do more. And, well, I think there's a way we can."

That got Sneasel's wandering attention. Slightly encouraged, Ash continued, "I was thinking that maybe you'd like to travel with me for a bit. Not as one of my Pokémon," he said quickly, when Sneasel hissed, "just as a friend."

The Dark-type did not look convinced. Ash faltered under her glare, but he couldn't give up yet. "I've just started on my journey, you see. I'm travelling all round Kanto battling other trainers and trying to get stronger. You could train with us. It would be great for my Pokémon to get some practice against tough opponents, and you could get used to battling with...like...y'know," he trailed off weakly.

' _Nice going.'_

' _Shut up,'_ Ash sent back. He shook his head and refocused on Sneasel. "I know you're really strong but it's still a lot to get used to. I just want to help. You could leave whenever you wanted, if you thought it was a waste of time or we were annoying, and I wouldn't do anything to stop you. I promise."

Something flickered in Sneasel's eye. Ash didn't know if it was a good thing or not, but he took a step forward. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. I never would. I won't ask you to fight against other trainers or Gym Leaders, or anything like that. You could just train with my Pokémon, and everything else is up to you."

Sneasel still didn't reply, or react in any way, and Ash bit back a sigh with an effort. "Look, I'm going to battle the Gym Leader tomorrow. He's one of the strongest trainers in Kanto. Why don't you come and watch? You can see how we battle, and how I've trained my friends. You can see how strong we are."

There was a long pause, then Sneasel let out a faint sigh. She held his gaze for a long moment, before finally nodding once. Ash stared, then smiled. "Thank you. You won't regret it, I swear."

Sneasel didn't look convinced, but that was fine. Ash would prove her wrong.

* * *

The next morning came all too clear. The sun was hidden for once, and Ash found the grey skies strangely appropriate. He had to take this battle seriously, for more reasons than one.

"Do you think we can do it?"

Abra gave him a slow blink. ' _Do you?'_

Ash opened his mouth, then hesitated. Abra watched him patiently, the tip of his tail flicking from side to side. The rest of Ash's Pokémon were in their Pokéballs and ready for the day ahead, but Ash wasn't quite ready to head down yet.

Abra sighed, and Teleported to Ash's shoulder.

' _We've been training. We're all stronger. If we keep our heads I don't see any reason why we can't defeat this Giovanni.'_

"I know," said Ash. "We're gonna win, just like we beat Misty and Brock. I trust all you guys to do that, no problem."

Abra cocked his head to one side, then understanding washed over them both and Ash felt a mental sigh. ' _You're still worried about Sneasel.'_

"Well, yeah," said Ash. He couldn't help the hint of defensiveness that crept into his voice, but pressed on regardless, "She'll never trust us if she thinks we're weak."

' _I still don't understand why this is our problem,'_ Abra grumbled. ' _We got her here, we saved her life. Why do we have to try and impress her as well?'_

Ash frowned at his starter. "Because we can help her, and if we can help then we should."

It was that simple. His mom and Professor Oak had taught Ash a lot of things, but he'd never had to be told to help people. Abra cocked his head to one side, then sighed. ' _You're a good person. It's going to get very annoying.'_

Ash laughed, and when a wave of fondness washed over him he had to pull his starter into a hug. "Thanks," he mumbled. "And don't worry. I'd never let her hurt you."

' _I know that,'_ Abra grumbled, but his tail finally stopped twitching. Ash smiled, and shouldered his rucksack so that he could sit Abra on top.

"Come on. Let's go and see if she's ready to go."

Nurse Joy was waiting for them outside of Sneasel's room. In her arms was a green box, which she pressed into Ash's hands.

"What-"

"This," Nurse Joy interrupted, "is everything you will need to look after an injured Pokémon." She fixed Ash with a piercing look. "I agreed to this idea of yours because Sneasel is a wild Pokémon, and is stubborn enough to do whatever she wants anyway, but she is still injured and you are going to be responsible for looking after her until she can look after herself."

Ash swallowed. He hadn't really thought about that bit. Nurse Joy's eyes narrowed as she continued, "Now, we will go into more detail after your battle, but in case anything does happen there are fresh bandages and ointment at the top. There are dried Sitrus berries in there too, but I'd encourage her to eat a fresh one if you can."

"Got it," said Ash, with a nod. "I'll take really good care of her, I promise."

Nurse Joy's severe expression relaxed into a smile. "I know. I wouldn't let her go with you if I didn't. But she has been through a traumatic experience, and it will take some time for her to heal."

Ash nodded again, and the nurse finally opened the door. Abra stiffened, and Ash calmed him with a hand on his head before taking a deep breath and heading inside.

Sneasel looked better. Not much better, but then she couldn't have looked much worse. All of the IV lines had been removed, along with some of the bandages, but the one covering her injured eye remained. Pink scabs crisscrossed her arms and torso, and Ash had to fight back a wince. Chansey were great healers, but this many wounds still took time.

But all of the injuries faded into insignificance next to the fire in Sneasel's eye. Ash stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Let's go."

Sneasel nodded once, and hopped off the bed. Ash knew better than to try to help her, but he stayed on her good side and slowed his steps enough that she didn't have to strain to keep up. He waved to Nurse Joy, and stepped out into the city.

"We're going to the Gym now," he told her. "It's gonna be tough, the Gym Leader here is really strong, and they make it harder for challengers with more badges. I've got two already, so this is gonna be a tough battle."

' _What are you doing?'_

' _She's wild, how's she supposed know anything about Gyms?'_ Ash shot back, before continuing his explanation. "We've got to get eight badges in Kanto, and then we can enter the Indigo League. That's where all the best trainers in the region compete."

Sneasel's ear twitched, but she otherwise didn't react. Undeterred, Ash kept talking. "Then the winner of the League gets to challenge the Elite Four. They're some of the best trainers in the world, they're all super-strong! And the strongest of all is the Champion."

His eyes went to Mount Silver, where it was said that the strongest trainers, including the Champion and the Elites trained, and he nodded. "And that's gonna be me one day. We're gonna be the strongest in the world."

Sneasel made a noncommittal noise, but when Ash looked down he saw her good eye fixed on him. She looked away as soon as he made eye contact, and Abra's tail bumped against Ash's shoulder.

' _I wish I knew what she thinking.'_

' _Yeah, now you know how the rest of us feel.'_

Irritation nudged against his mind, and Ash bit back a smile. The last thing he wanted was for Sneasel to think he was laughing at her. He patted Abra's head, and went back to speaking out loud.

"I don't know how many Pokémon we'll be using, but Professor Oak says he specialises in Ground-types so I'll definitely be starting with Roselia and Psyduck. After that, I'm not sure yet. Eevee really wants a proper battle, but Abra is older and more experienced."

' _I've done a Gym battle, I'm happy for Eevee to take this one.'_

"You did our very first one, and that was weeks ago," Ash protested. "Don't you want to show how strong you are?"

Abra let out a soft huff, and returned himself to his Pokéball without answering. Ash sighed, and glanced down at Sneasel. "Sorry. Abra has to sleep a lot to conserve energy. He wasn't being rude."

' _Yes, I was.'_

Ash decided to ignore that. Sneasel shrugged, then let out a faint hiss as the movement tugged on her still-healing wounds. Ash hesitated, but the glare the Dark-type shot him killed any chance of offering help. It was with great relief that Ash saw the pillars and gleaming Gym sign just up ahead.

"There we are!"

Normally at this point he would have broken into a sprint, but he had Sneasel to worry about and so forced himself to keep walking. At the door he paused and looked down at the Pokéballs on his belt.

"All right, guys, this is gonna be our toughest battle yet. You all ready?"

Three of the 'balls rocked in confirmation, and Ash took the flicker of irritation as Abra's own agreement. He took a deep breath. "Then lets go."

Like the Pewter City Gym, the Viridian arena was rough sand, scattered with uneven piles of boulders. Ash squinted through the gloom, but there was no sight of a Gym Leader.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Silence met his words. Ash scowled. "Abra?"

There was a slight pause before Abra replied. ' _There's someone coming. Be careful, Ash.'_

' _What-'_ Ash began, but before he could voice the question a door at the back of the Gym slid open and a man entered.

He was nothing remarkable to look at. He was probably in his forties, dressed in a dark suit with neatly combed black hair, but something about him made the hairs on the back of Ash's neck stand on end. Sneasel let out a low hiss, and shifted almost imperceptibly closer to Ash.

' _I don't know,'_ said Abra quietly _. 'There's danger here, but I don't know...'_

' _Very helpful, thanks.'_

But Ash had come here for a battle, and he wasn't going to leave until he'd won the badge, so he marched forward. "Hello? My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I'm here for a Gym battle!"

The man quirked an eyebrow. "I gathered as much. I am Giovanni."

Ash swallowed. Giovanni was very different from Misty and Brock. They seemed to love what they did. Giovanni looked more bored than anything else as he stepped up to the other side of the arena.

"How many badges do you have?"

"I've got two," said Ash proudly. "And today's gonna be the day I get my third."

Giovanni frowned slightly, but after a moment he shook his head. "This won't take long. This battle will consist of three Pokémon apiece, you may switch Pokémon as needed. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yeah, I'm ready!"

Giovanni nodded and held up a Pokéball, and Ash grabbed his own. "Roselia, I choose you!"

Roselia burst from the ball with a cheerful chirp and a twirl. Ash smiled at her, but it faded at the fierce roar that erupted from their opponent.

' _He likes battling,'_ Abra supplied dryly.

Ash's jaw clenched. "Yeah, well so do we!" He'd never seen a Piloswine before, but if they were a Ground-type then Roselia could win.

"Begin," Giovanni snapped. "Piloswine, Bulldoze!"

"Dodge it, Roselia, and use Poison Powder!"

The ground rocked hard enough that Ash staggered, but Roselia was already in the air, and launched a swirling purple cloud at his command. Before they connected though, Piloswine snorted and the Poison Powder was caught by a sudden localised Sandstorm.

' _That was well done. We're going to have to do better, Ash.'_

Ash gritted his teeth, but he wasn't out of ideas yet. "Mega Drain!"

Roselia chirped acknowledgement, and the waves of bright green energy lanced out to Piloswine. The Ground-type grunted as the attack hit, and Ash grinned as Roselia's roses took on a lustrous shine. "Nice one!"

Giovanni, however, still looked bored. "Piloswine, Ice Shard."

Ash's heart skipped a beat. Piloswine were Ice-types? "What? Look out, Roselia!"

But it was too late. Piloswine reared back onto its hind legs, and as it came down a dozen chunks of ice went flying at Roselia. There were too many and they were too fast, and Roselia hit a rock with a piercing screech. Giovanni nodded once.

"End it with Avalanche."

"Roselia!"

She never had a chance of dodging. She tried, but the Ice Shard had already been too much and she was buried under even more snow and ice.

Ash stood frozen. It had all happened so fast. Roselia had barely had a chance to do anything, and with just two attacks...

"Your Pokémon is unable to battle," said Giovanni. "Select another, or forfeit the match."

Ash recalled Roselia with shaking hands. "You...you were amazing," he whispered. "Take a good rest, okay?"

It took him a second to clip the ball back onto his belt. Roselia was one of his strongest Pokémon. He had expected her to take down at least two of Giovanni's. Now he was down to two Pokémon, and Piloswine had barely taken any damage.

' _Stay calm,'_ said Abra _. 'We can do this.'_

The effect was slightly undermined by the tremor in his voice, but Ash pulled himself together and took another Pokéball. "Psyduck, I choose you!"

Psyduck appeared with a flash of red light, and fixed a death glare on Piloswine. Ash frowned at her. "Be careful," he said softly. "It's really strong, and it's faster than it looks. Be ready for anything, okay?"

Psyduck shot him a slightly annoyed look, but nodded and raised her flippers to her head. A faint glow emanated from her body, and she turned back to face Piloswine. Giovanni just sighed.

"Begin. Piloswine, use Mud Bomb."

"Catch it!" Ash yelled. Not that Psyduck needed the warning. This was exactly what they had practiced for facing Brock. The balls of mud whipped around Psyduck's head, and she fired them back at Piloswine with a sharp gesture. Piloswine grunted at the impact, and Ash didn't waste the opening, "Use Bubblebeam!"

That also landed, and Ash felt a flicker of optimism as the big Ground-type staggered. If Psyduck could take down Piloswine then they might still have a chance of winning. He took a moment to glance down at Sneasel, and found her watching the battle with rapt attention. Ash grinned, and refocused on the battle.

"Keep it up, Psyduck! Bubblebeam whenever you get a chance!"

Psyduck nodded. The faintest trace of a frown touched Giovanni's face. "Piloswine. Above and below."

"What?" Ash spluttered. "That's not an attack, right?" But Giovanni was good, and Ash wasn't going to take chances. "Watch out, Psyduck!"

He was right to be worried. Piloswine stomped a foot and a flurry of rocks flew through the air, but when Psyduck waved a flipper to catch them she was knocked off her feet by a follow-up Earthquake.

' _That was a good combination. We might be in trouble.'_

There was no might about it. Distracted as she was by the dual attacks, Psyduck was unable to respond in time to the Bulldoze that followed, and she let out a rare squawk of pain. Ash's hands clenched into fists.

"Come on, Psyduck, you can do it! Your Water attacks were really hurting it, keep up the Bubblebeams as much as you can!"

Psyduck struggled back to her feet. Bruises were already starting to show through the mud, but the Bubblebeam she fired at Piloswine were enough to send it slamming into a rock. She followed up with another, and this time it was Piloswine that gave an enraged roar.

"Yes! Keep doing that!"

Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "Piloswine. Stop it."

Ash frowned. What was Piloswine supposed to do? Psyduck was still attacking, and she had a type advantage. There was no way they were going to lose now.

But he had misjudged his opponent again. Piloswine lowered his its head against the stream of water and lunged forward with a bellow. Another Earthquake sent Psyduck staggering, and Piloswine took advantage of the reprieve to launch a full-powered Body Slam.

"Psyduck!"

Psyduck forced herself upright, but she was visibly swaying on her feet. Ash wondered if he should switch so that she could catch her breath, but even as his hand drifted to her Pokéball she fixed him with such a defiant glare that he hesitated.

"You sure?"

Psyduck nodded. Ash bit his lip, but he had trusted Budew in the battle against Brock, and it had been the right call. He had to trust his Pokémon. He let his hand fall from his belt. "Then lets do this! You know what to do!"

Psyduck turned and fired another Bubblebeam without further prompting, and this time the blast was powerful enough to knock Piloswine off its feet. It hit the floor with a thud that shook the floor, and before it could even try to rise Psyduck let loose another Bubblebeam. Piloswine let out a weak cry and fell still, but Psyduck didn't let up. If anything the stream of water intensified in power. A flicker of concern pulsed in Ash's mind, and he stepped forward.

"That's enough, Psyduck! You got him!"

For a second he thought she would ignore him, but then the stream of water abruptly cut off. Ash ignored Giovanni recalling Psyduck; he was too worried about the angry resentment he could feel pouring off his own partner.

"Psyduck? You okay?"

Psyduck waved a dismissive flipper, but before Ash could try again there was a flash of red light and a Dugtrio appeared on the other side of the field. Ash bit his lip. They would talk later, for now there was a battle to win.

' _Careful,'_ Abra went. ' _I've met a few Diglett and Dugtrio and they're fast.'_

Ash nodded. Abra sent the same information to Psyduck, who tilted her head in acknowledgement, then Giovanni gave a curt nod.

"Begin."

"Bubblebeam!" Ash called.

Psyduck obeyed immediately, but it wasn't fast enough. One second Dugtrio was there, the next it had vanished into the ground and the spray of bubbles burst harmlessly against the sandy floor.

' _Told you.'_

Ash ignored that. Psyduck's head whipped round, but before Ash could even open his mouth the ground rumbled and the force of Dugtrio's attack sent Psyduck slamming into the nearest rock. She crashed to the ground, made a shaky effort to rise, then fell back into the dust.

"Psyduck!"

"Psyduck is unable to battle," said Giovanni coolly. "Select your final Pokémon."

Ash bit his lip hard. "Thanks, Psyduck," he whispered. He returned the 'ball to his belt, and hesitated. He knew Eevee wanted to battle, but he had only one Pokémon left to beat two of Giovanni's, and the little Normal-type didn't have any proper battle experience. He couldn't risk it.

That left only one option.

"Ready, Abra?"

Abra's wariness was strong enough to make Ash's stomach churn, but he Teleported into the arena without hesitation. Ash took a deep breath.

' _I know he's fast, but nothing's as fast as you. Keep Teleporting, and he won't be able to touch you.'_

' _We hope,'_ Abra sent back. His thick tail was twitching uncontrollably. Ash shoved aside his own nerves, determined not to give Abra any more reason to worry. They both had to stay calm. They could do this.

"Begin," said Giovanni.

Abra immediately Teleported higher into the air. Dugtrio hesitated, all six eyes darting between Abra and Giovanni, but the Gym Leader didn't as much as bat an eyelid. "Rock Slide."

Abra blinked out of existence, only to reappear right in the path of another flying rock.

"Watch out!" Ash yelped, but Abra had already vanished again, this time reappearing as close to Ash as the arena boundaries allowed.

' _There might be a flaw in this plan.'_

Ash swallowed, and his apprehension only increased when Giovanni nodded. "Stealth Rock."

Dozens of pointed stones rose to fill the air. Ash shot a quick glance at Abra, but could already feel his partner's wariness. This was going to take a lot of quick reacting, and Abra's stamina still wasn't anything special.

But it wasn't like they had much choice.

' _You'll need to use your powers to push rocks away,'_ Ash sent _. 'Avoid them when you can, but do whatever you can to not get hit.'_

' _Thank you for those pearls of wisdom.'_

' _You know what I mean. Be careful. And start with Psybeam.'_

Abra did so, jumping in close enough to launch an attack and then vanishing before Dugtrio could retaliate. He rematerialised in a clear spot, but Dugtrio shook off the residual confusion quickly and Abra had to jump away again to avoid another rockfall.

This time he wasn't so precise, and only a psychic shove prevented a painful impact with one of the rocks. Ash grinned, but the faint smirk on Giovanni's face had his heart sinking. Abra barely had time to catch his breath before another storm of rocks came flying at him.

From there it was only a matter of time. Abra did his best, he was a brown and yellow blur as he zipped around the arena, but it didn't matter how fast he was when there was no clear space for him to take refuge in. He managed to land a few more hits, but many more missed when Dugtrio could take refuge underground.

He wasn't good enough, Ash realised with a sinking heart. He wasn't strong enough, or fast enough, just as Roselia and Psyduck hadn't been good enough. And that was his fault. Ash hadn't trained them well enough. He had been so proud of their victories over Misty and Brock, and yet now, faced with a trainer like Giovanni, his best efforts just weren't enough.

Sneasel let out a hiss, and Ash looked up in time to see a rock catch Abra a glancing blow to the head. The Psychic-type hit the floor, unable to maintain his levitation, and Giovanni snapped out another order,

"Shadow Claw."

Abra tried. Ash could feel him desperately try to summon the energy for another teleport, but the head wound on top of his exhaustion were just too much. The slash of Ghost-typed energy struck home, and Abra's scream ripped through Ash's ears and mind.

"Abra!"

There was no reply. Ash sprinted out onto the field, and threw himself down next to his partner. "Abra?" He rested a shaking hand on Abra's shoulder. For a heart-stopping moment he felt nothing, then Abra stirred.

 _'A-Ash? Wha-'_

"No, don't try to talk," Ash insisted. "We'll get you to a Pokémon Centre, you're gonna be fine, I promise."

There was the faintest flicker of acknowledgement, then Abra sank back into unconsciousness. Sneasel padded up to peer over Ash's arm and Giovanni was saying something, but Ash could only hold his friend in his arms and wonder how everything had gone so wrong.

* * *

 **I think Giovanni would save Mewtwo for more experienced trainers; there's no challenge in crushing beginners and Mewtwo would find it insulting. Thanks for reading, any feedback would be appreciated.**

 **Come and find me on tumblr for all fanfic-related stuff.**


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